If I Die Before I Wake
by Faith McKay
Summary: Was ~~~~HAVE YOU EVER WANTED TO ATTEND HOGWARTS~~~~ The Battle lives on and now the side of the light must figure out how to beat the side of the Dark.....but when they do will it be too late? Contains friends, foes and fiascos....... CHAPTER 6 UP!!
1. Utterly Speechless

Disclaimer: I do not own anything of JKR and I do not own any of these characters; they belong to those who created them. 

Note: Sorry it took so long. But yeah!!!! Here is chapter 1. And the title winner was _If I Die Before I Wake_…Yeah!!!! Ok that's enough. Here you go…

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Chapter 1~ 

Utterly Speechless

Hermione adjusted the Prefect's badge that was pinned loosely to her robes and smiled. She had been waiting for this since her very first year at Hogwarts. All of her studying and hard work had finally paid off, and she was proud of it. She brushed some hair away from her face and turned sideways in the mirror. The summer had definitely allowed her to blossom, and now, as she looked at herself, she wondered if the boys would even recognize her. Krum certainly had when she went to visit him a few weeks ago. In fact, he wouldn't leave her alone for a minute. She had gone there being quite fond of him but left feeling a bit irritated. Laughing to herself, she pulled out the light pink lip gloss she had just bought and applied it carefully. She never really wore much makeup but today she felt it would be nice to make a good impression, especially for the exchange students that would be arriving. A small pang of excitement formed in her stomach as she thought of this. In the letter she had received from Professor McGonagall, it stated that certain Prefects would be assigned an exchange student as a buddy, basically to help them get on their feet. To Hermione's surprise, she had been chosen. It would be nice to bring in some new faces and, hopefully, dull the pain that had surfaced after Cedric's death last school year. She winced a bit at the thought and the trauma that had occurred. She didn't understand how these terrible things kept coming, and she certainly didn't understand why poor Harry was always thrown in the middle. It just made life seem quite unfair, and now, with Voldemort back into power, it would be a difficult year to get through. She had prayed night after night that Harry find the strength within him to continue on a normal life, but that seemed impossible when the Dark Lord was always at his heels. She sighed and grabbed the handle of her trunk. The train ride would be a long, tiring journey, but she hoped only for the best.

Her house was quiet as she lugged the trunk down the stairs and into the sitting room. At first, she didn't notice the front door wide open, but when she did, a dark, looming shadow hovered in the doorway.

"You..." She backed up slowly and stumbled over something on the floor. She quickly looked down to see the bodies of her parents. A muffled noise sounded from her mouth, and she felt her heart beating faster.

"Where is the Potter boy?" quizzed a voice that was harsh and cold, and Hermione snapped back into reality when she heard it.

"I-I d-d-don't know..." her body convulsed now as pictures of her family and friends flashed vividly into her mind.

"Always protecting him. Silly mudblood, you're a fool..." he raised his arm slowly, and she quickly dove behind her trunk as she heard the words spill from his lips, "AVADA KEDAVRA!"

******************************

The summer had been long and tedious for Harry. With the rise of Voldemort, he had not slept soundly since he had left Hogwarts. The Dursley's had given him a hard time about keeping his wand out, but once he had mentioned Sirius' name, they seemed to back off rather quickly. He had spent most of his time up in his room going over the events that had occurred. It just didn't seem real, and the more he thought about it, the more difficult it was to accept. Ron and Hermione had sent him posts over the summer but there were no visitations. They had simply decided that staying home would be the best way to cope with the current ordeals.

Harry sighed and leaned against his trunk. Platform 9 3/4 was unusually quiet. There were many students scattered about, but the mood was dim and depressed. He shook his head and looked around for Ron and Hermione. There were a few new faces boarding the train, but one face that stuck out sourly in the crowd was none other than Draco Malfoy.

Well, Potty, where's the Weasel and the Mudblood?" he glared at Harry with his cold, gray eyes and smirked the famous Malfoy smirk.

Oh, go jump in a lake, Malfoy." It was too early to begin the ridicule and mouth-offs. 

"Eh Eh Eh, Potter. Behave yourself or I might be compelled to take some points away from your house," Draco flashed his Prefect's badge proudly. "Remember, you must respect all Prefects," he laughed his sinister laugh and looked around the platform. "Now if I could only find my transfer buddy," he said looking around and rubbing his hands together.

Harry rolled his eyes, "I'm sure that student will be wishing they never transferred." 

"On the contrary, Potter, I plan on corrupting this fellow and making him the best Slytherin comrade," Draco confessed, glancing at a piece of parchment. "Will Harris. Gods, can he sound any more American?" 

"Excuse me…did you say Will Harris?" a tall girl with beautiful brown hair dropped her trunk next to Malfoy and glanced down at the parchment. "Oh, no! He did it again!" she laughed. 

"Who did what? Who are you?" Malfoy sneered at her.

"Oh, I'm sorry, I'm Will-OW Harris. My father calls me Will, and he always forgets to write my full name on submissions forms and such. I can see it happened again." Willow held out her hand for Draco to shake, but he stood there, silent. Harry was muffling a laugh that had formed, but Malfoy overheard and pushed him aside.

"Follow me…" his voice sounded flat with emotion as he headed onto the train. Willow looked at Harry and raised her eyebrows. 

"Oh, don't worry. He gets better," Harry snickered as she shrugged her shoulders and followed Malfoy onto the train. 

Harry leaned back against a wall and continued to look for his friends. It had been a long summer and he was getting anxious to see them. There was a clatter behind him. Harry turned around to see Ron running towards him rather quickly. 

"Harry!…Watch…out!…I just saw Ryne and Anton. They said that Ryo has been waiting for…" Ron tried to continue, but there was another clang behind them. When they whipped around, Ryo was pouncing onto Harry. They rolled for a few moments, and then they both sprung to their feet in defense positions. 

"Smooth, Potter. I can see you have been working on your defenses." Ryo took a step closer and extended his hand saying, "Well done." 

Harry shook it firmly and smiled. The summer had been dull without Ryo dueling with him or practicing defense moves. Their rivalry was simple and unique, and the respect they had towards one another was deep. If Ryo wasn't so big, or Japanese looking, some might think they he and Harry were related. Ryo had the same messy black hair and bright green eyes, and they both loved excitement and adventure. 

Harry turned to the two boys who were following Ryo and greeted, "Hello, Ryne, Anton." He nodded to the both of them. "How was your summer?" Harry smiled at the two and laughed to himself. He couldn't remember a time when Ryne or Anton were not together. It was like they were attached at the hip. 

"Hiya, Harry!" Ryne playfully slapped Harry on his back. "Not so terrible. Anton and I practiced a lot of Quidditch; we are both trying for positions this year." Anton nodded in unison with Ryne. Ryo just rolled his eyes. 

"You know if you two don't find some girlfriends soon, people will begin to suspect your gay," Ryo laughed at Ron's remark, who found this quite amusing. 

"All right, all right. Enough of the gay jokes. It's bad enough we get them from the Slytherins…" Anton turned his head and screamed across the platform, "Eddy! Come here, will you?" 

A very meek looking girl drug her trunk across the platform. She was so petite and fragile that Harry thought her arms were going to be torn away from her body each time she yanked her trunk. For a moment, Harry was mesmerized by her blue eyes but then realizing she was probably a first year. He snapped out of it. 

"Harry, Ron, Ryo," Anton took the girl by her shoulder, "this is my sister, Edeline Reinhard. She's a first year." Edeline smiled politely. "Eddy, these are some of my friends." 

"You mean, you have others besides Ryne?" she looked at him with a shocked expression, which caused the other boys to chuckle to themselves. 

"Yes, sister dear," Anton hissed through his teeth. "This is Ron Weasley, Ryo Hazuki and Harry Potter." The small girl flung her hand over her mouth. Anton laughed, "Yes, THE Harry Potter. Now close your mouth and let's get on the train." He turned her around and escorted her and her trunk towards the train with Ryne not far behind. 

"Well, Harry, I'll be seeing you," Ryo bowed to Harry (which was his sign of peace) and soon he too was stepping onto the train. 

Harry turned to Ron and smacked him lightly saying, "Thanks for giving me a great warning." 

"Owww! Sorry…" Ron rubbed his arm lightly and looked down the platform. "Have you seen 'Mione yet?" 

Harry shook his head, "No, I've been looking but I haven't seen her." 

The train gave a warning hoot and Ron grabbed Harry's arm, "I'm sure Hermione is fine, but I am not missing this train again!" Pulling Harry with all his might, Ron dragged him off the platform and onto the train. 

**************************************

Knockturn Alley was quiet this morning. There were hardly any people in the shops, and the streets seemed to be completely deserted. There was a slight breeze in the air, which made the trees dance in funny directions. It was days like these that Aletta simply loved. She had already finished her morning shopping and was heading back to her Manor at the end of the Alley. A short elderly woman offered her some Manticore Pie, but she declined. She knew it really wasn't Manticore. Around these parts, she just didn't know who to trust. A few books jumbled in her arms as she took long strides up the path. A large gargoyle that resided at the front steps bowed his head at her arrival. 

"Good morning to you as well, Edgar," Aletta smiled and picked up her mail, which was lying neatly by the door. 

Pushing the door open, she inhaled the wonderful smell of ginger tea. She unclasped her robe and hung it on the rack next to the door. There was a squeak from the next room and soon her house elf, Emmit, came bustling out of the kitchen.

"Good morning, Missy," Emmit grabbed Aletta's books. "Emmy will take care of these, she will." 

"Thank you, Emmy." Aletta walked towards her sitting room. "Emmy, could you bring me my ginger tea when you're done?" 

"Oh, yes, Missy. Emmy will bring your tea right away," the house elf smiled and disappeared through one of the many doors. 

Aletta yawned and dropped into the closest chair. She opened a drawer in the table to her left and pulled out a muggle novel. It was one of Aletta's dirty pleasures. She remembered the day her mother had caught her reading one, and she had never been hit so hard in her entire life. Now, she didn't have to worry. She lived alone in the Averill Manor. She could read as many muggle novels as she wanted. The swinging door on the opposite side of the room opened with a bang, and in walked Emmy with a cup of ginger tea and a post. 

" Here is your tea Missy, and this, " she handed Aletta the letter, "Juno brought over early this morning right after you left." Emmy took a step away from Aletta, who was staring at the letter with a puzzled expression. "Everything alright, Missy?" 

"Emmy…I haven't seen a letter like this in years," Aletta gawked at the letter even more before she tore it open. She read it several times before jumping to her feet. "Emmy, I need to take a short trip. Please take charge of the house while I'm gone." 

"Yes, Missy." Emmy followed Aletta asking, "When can Emmy expect your return?" Aletta turned and crouched down to Emmy's level. 

"I'll be back soon, Emmy." She hugged the house elf tightly, softly saying, "Now you mind everything here, and if you need me, use Juno. She will know where to find me."

Aletta fastened her cloak around her neck again and headed back towards Knockturn Alley. She needed a few things before she actually made her way to her destination. She sighed and shook her head. Never in a million years did she expect to return to Hogwarts.

**********************************

Harry and Ron found an empty compartment towards the back of the train. Throwing his duffle bag aside, Harry dropped into the seat and looked out the window. He was worried about Hermione. It was very unlike her to be late…Something wasn't right. Ron dropped into his seat as well and pulled out a few boxes of chocolate frogs. 

"You're worried about Hermione, aren't you?" Ron began, biting off the head of a frog. 

"I don't know, Ron…It's just very un-Hermione-ish." Harry leaned his head against the pane of glass. The door to the compartment suddenly slid open and Seamus smiled at the two. 

"Hello, you two! Ready for another exciting year?" Harry looked up at Seamus and rolled his eyes. 

"Oh, don't be such spoilers," Seamus commented sitting down next to Harry. He then waved at the door. A short girl, whom neither Harry nor Ron had ever seen at school before, walked in. She had long, black hair and bright blue eyes. She smiled shyly at them and then sat down across from Seamus. 

"Well, Harry, since you didn't take Prefect, guess who they appointed?" Seamus fingered the badge that was pinned on his robe. 

"Was Dumbledore drunk?" Ron joked biting into another frog. 

"Hilarious…both of you." He put his arm around the girl then smiled. "I would like you to meet Bianca Celeste, my buddy. She just transferred here from Salem Institute for Witches."

"You went to an all-girls' school?" Ron questioned, wide-eyed. Bianca nodded eagerly. 

"In America?" Harry raised his eyebrow.

"Yes," she answered simply. 

"Americans are strange sometimes." Harry laughed extending his hand to her, "I'm Harry Potter." Bianca shook it with great strength. 

"Oh, I knew who you were as soon as I entered the car," she smiled shyly and Seamus stood. 

"I told her she would make a great Gryffindor, but we will just have to wait." Seamus opened the door. "If you see Dean tell him I'm two cars down." Bianca waved goodbye and followed Seamus out of the car. 

Harry looked at Ron, who watched her leave with a drooling expression plastered to his face. Harry kicked him hard in the shin and Ron screamed in result. 

"Oww…" Ron rubbed his shin. "Why do you keep trying injuring me today?" 

"Why are all these transfers coming in?" Harry questioned, ignoring Ron and peering through the glass pane over the door. There were many faces he didn't recognize, and he was positive most were not first years. 

"I'm not sure. Maybe something happened to their schools." Harry shrugged his shoulders as the car door slid open again. Ron groaned loudly when he saw who it was.

"Hello, Harry!" She sneered at Ron, "Weasley." 

"Hello, Mac," Harry felt a chuckle rise in his throat, and he quickly tucked it away. He didn't want to start an argument if he didn't have to. 

"I want you to meet a new friend of mine." They looked behind her. Harry had to blink twice when he looked at her. Was that an earring near her eye?

"This is Americus Graham. She's in 6th year and just transferred from the Salem Institute for Witches." There was a long silence until, finally, Ron broke into laughter. 

"Oh, Gods…These names keep getting better and better. First yours," Ron pointed to Mac, "Macaroni, and now Americus?" Ron grabbed his stomach in laughter.

"I happen to like my name," Americus snapped back at Ron, placing her arms firmly across her chest. "Besides, most people just call me Meri." 

Mac cleared her throat to stop the argument from furthering, and then asked, "Have you seen Hermione? There is a girl outside looking for her. I think it's her buddy." 

Harry shrugged, "We haven't seen her yet, but, if you want, you can send her to us. We would be happy to sit with her." Harry smiled at Mac. Although she was a Slytherin, she had always treated him with respect.

"Great! I'll see you later, Harry." Mac gave Ron the death eye, "Weasley." She turned quickly as her dirty blonde hair blew behind her. 

"It was nice meeting you," Meri turned and followed Mac, all the while talking excitedly and using big hand motions. Ron waited until the door had closed completely before he began laughing again. Harry just stared at him for a minute until he too was rolling in hysterics. He wasn't even sure why he was laughing, but he continued until the car door slammed open. 

"So, where is she?" Ron and Harry exchanged glances as the girl crossed her arms.

"Have you seen Hermione Granger?" They remained silent. For some reason, this girl, who couldn't be more then 5'3", was actually very intimidating.

"Are you both mute? No one ignores me. Answer when I speak to you!" Her face became red with anger. 

"No, we haven't seen Hermione," Harry breathed out quickly. "May I ask who you are?" 

"Zella Zellosa. Transferred 6th year. Hermione is supposed to be my Prefect buddy, but the stupid girl is no where to be found." 

"Actually, Hermione is far from stupid. She's the smartest girl in the school, which is very hard for a muggle decent to achieve," Ron spat back at her. 

"Muggle? She's a Mudblood? Oh, great." Zella flung her arms in the air. "Listen, when you see her, tell her that I don't need no Mudblood as a buddy. I'll be fine on my own." 

"You don't have to be so rude you know. You're judging a girl you haven't even met yet because she's Muggle-born? You can't always have everything your way," Harry began, his nerves finally on the last string. 

"Oh, we will see, Harry Potter. Zella Zelosa always gets what she wants." Harry's mouth gapped open.

"Oh, don't think I didn't know who you are!" she slammed the door back open again and it closed with a loud thud. 

"That was the most frightening experience of my entire life!" Ron whispered, sitting back further into his seat. 

"You? I feel bad for Hermione! She hasn't even met her yet." They both nodded in unison and sat in silence for quite some time. 

***********************************

Hermione opened her eyes slowly and a bright light made her wince. She wasn't sure what had happened. In fact, she was really sure if she was dead or alive. She sat up carefully and rubbed her eyes. If she was dead, then, by the way things looked, the after life looked a lot like the infirmary at Hogwarts. A woman wearing white swept by her bedside carrying bandages. And if she was dead, did this mean Madam Pomfrey was too? She shook her head and looked around the room. Why was she sleeping here? Then it all sunk back into her head. Her parents had been killed by the hand of Lucius Malfoy. A muffled cry escaped her mouth and she threw her hands to her face. 

"Hermione?" She lifted her head from her hands as Dumbledore sat on the edge of the bed. Professor McGonagall was also there, along with Snape and another person whom she had never seen before.

"Hermione, we are sorry about the loss of your parents." She nodded and held back more tears that had formed.

"Now, my dear, I'm sure you have many questions. Please feel free to ask us anything," Dumbledore said softly. Hermione looked at each adult before dropping her head. 

"How did I survive? I heard him yell the curse…Shouldn't I be dead?" her lips quivered. 

"Well, that is an easy one to answer," Dumbledore said standing up and moving in between Snape and the other man. "You see, Hermione, Professor Snape had gone to spy on Voldemort for the side of the light. During this ordeal, he had stumbled upon the plans to attack certain families. Yours was one of them." He pointed to another bed where the curtains had been closed.

"That was another. Now, when we heard this, we sent for one of the very best Dark fighters," explained Dumbledore, placing a hand on the stranger's shoulder. "Hermione, this is Rex Chase, the man who saved your life." Rex took a step forward. 

"I'm glad you're all right Hermione."

"But how?…The curse, I heard it…" 

"Actually, what you heard was myself performing the curse. I had been behind Lucius. It was me you heard yell, Hermione. The green light you avoided was the one that had been aimed towards Lucius." He clenched his fists together and said through clenched teeth, "The git got away." 

Hermione felt her heart go sore for the man. It seemed as though he had been through a lot; she could see it within dark brown eyes. There was so much experience, so much pain, and it was all very visible from his eyes. 

"Mr. Chase will be filling in for the Defense Against the Dark Arts," Dumbledore began, smiling at Rex.

"Now, Miss Granger, we are going to leave you to get some rest. I am asking you not to tell anyone about anything we discussed here today." Hermione nodded.

"You will be given your transfer buddy at the sorting, but, until then, please rest. I will send someone to retrieve you when it is time," Professor McGonagall said, a very serious expression on her face. 

"I understand." Hermione honestly did. 

Besides, she didn't want to discuss what happened anyway. The teachers gave one more smile of reassurance to Hermione and then left. She could have sworn that even Snape smirked at her. She flung her legs over the side of the bed and glanced around the room. Quickly, she tip toed over to the bed opposite of her and peeked inside the curtains. A boy, probably the same age as Hermione, lay in the bed, staring at the ceiling. His face was twisted with emotions, and his hair lay flat against his face. His glasses seemed to be a bit crooked, but they accented his light brown eyes perfectly. From the looks of it, he was tall and large. He was very much in shape. Hermione caught herself staring at his body. 

"Can I help you.?" he asked in a flat tone. 

"No…well, I mean, I…" she shook her head to get her thoughts back together. "Dumbledore told me about your family. I'm very sorry. It happened to me as well." He tilted his head slightly and looked at her. 

"You're Hermione Granger, aren't you?" he asked. 

She shot him a quizzical expression. No one ever knew who she was, especially new people. "Yes, um…how did you know?" 

"You were in one of my text books back at my old school. You and Harry Potter." She smiled and extended her hand. 

"And you are?" 

"Oh, I'm sorry," he inched up on the bed and took her hand. "I'm Strider Lunas from America. Transfer from Jackson School of Magic." He shook her hand firmly and she felt herself blush until he pulled away.

"I'm sorry about your family too, Hermione," he went back to sing the flat tone. 

"So am I…" she fell silent. 

They sat together for awhile in complete silence until Pomfrey shooed Hermione away and back to her bed. It didn't matter though; they had already formed a tight bond. 

***************************

Lucius Malfoy stood impatiently in the center of his sitting room. The fireplace was crackling madly and he himself felt like going mad. He was tired and irritable, but he figured it would be worth it in the end. There was a soft plop near the fireplace when Peter Pettigrew, otherwise know as Wormtail, sat down. 

"So, it was taken care of Lucius?" Peter hissed from the fireplace. Even from a distance, Lucius could smell the cocky attitude of his fellow Death Eater. 

"Yes, Peter, it is finished. Each family whose name was on the list has been killed," he sighed and rubbed his temples. 

"What about the Grangers? They were an important key." The fire snapped loudly and Lucius almost wished Peter was in the fire, burning. 

"Well, there was only one difficulty there," Lucius confessed. 

"Which was?" 

"That git, Chase, showed up again and this time he saved the girl…the Mudblood…" he snapped his fingers, "What is her name?" 

"Hermione," Wormtail said, cringing as the name rolled from his lips. 

"Yes, well, he stopped me from getting her, but it doesn't matter. She will be too distraught to be a problem now." 

"That's not the point, Lucius!" Wormtail yelled from the fireplace. "You were supposed to kill the entire family! I assume this didn't happen with anyone else?" Peter spat.

"Only one other, Chase was there as well…The Lunas family, their son survived." 

"Wonderful job, Lucius! I'm sure the Dark Lord will be very pleased." Wormtail shook his head. 

"Don't you see, you idiot? How could they have known we would be planning this? There must be some kind of leak…A traitor." 

"Who would be so stupid as to cross the side of the dark?" Wormtail questioned.

"I can think of one in particular…" Lucius felt his blood run cold. He knew who the traitor was, and now it was only a matter of time before he plotted his revenge. 

**************************************

Aletta ran quickly through the corridors hoping that the office would still be in the same place. She smiled at the familiar paintings, and most of them even smiled back. It was nice to be back, but, under these circumstances, she wasn't sure that it would remain nice. The halls were empty and she figured that the students had not arrived yet. She turned a corner into another corridor and smacked into another individual. 

"Oh! I'm terribly sorry," Aletta apologized, taking a step back away from the man. She looked into his face and squinted. It just couldn't be possible, but there he was. The same face structure, the same dark, shoulder length, black hair. The deep mysterious eyes and the body that she had tried so hard to forget.

" Severus?" she questioned. 

"Do I know you?" he returned, still with the same dry sense of character. She had forgotten how much she had changed. She was still the same height, about 5'11", and her hair and eye color were still auburn and gray, but she had lost a lot of weight, which had made her bone structure become most prominent. She had also stopped smiling. She did occasionally smile but not often. Now, here she was, standing with him. Standing with the man that had caused her problems upon problems, and he couldn't even recognize her! She wasn't sure how to react, so, instead, she smiled sinfully. 

"Severus, it's me," she paused, "Aletta Averill." 

Snape stood there a moment, dumbfounded. He didn't even notice that she was shaking his hand. He never thought he would see her again after all that had happened, after everything they had gone through, and now, here she was, still as sharp and poised as ever. 

"Well, are you going to ask me anything? Don't you want to know why I'm here?" Aletta let go of his hand and waited. For the first time in his life, Severus Snape was utterly speechless.


	2. Meet The Houses

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Chapter 2 – Meet the Houses

Disclaimer: Yes, I guess I'll say it again. None of this stuff is mine. I do not make a profit from it. In fact, I am currently poor and starving……..Please send donations. 

Note: I hope you all enjoyed the first chapter. This chapter features everyone:::yeah:::: Although there is not many interactions here, it will get better. It's hard writing out the dumb introduction chapters, so please sit back and relax and when you're done reading, don't forget to review! 

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Chapter 2

~ Meet the Houses 

"Severus?" Aletta took a step closer as he took a giant step back. "Are you going to answer me?" He opened his mouth a bit, but no words came out. "I see you haven't changed." 

This had hit him hard. "Why are you back here, Aletta? I thought we made it clear to keep distance…" He brushed his hair back behind his ears and continued to stare at her. 

"Oh, believe me, Severus, I wouldn't be here if I wasn't summoned." She folded her arms across her chest. "I was perfectly content keeping my distance from you and this school." 

"Summoned for what? Let me see your arm." He grabbed her arm roughly and pulled back the sleeve of her robe. It was still there, just as his was. He lightly brushed his fingers over it and then dropped her arm. 

"I see you're still involved. What is all this? Did the Dark Lord send you here?" 

"No, you twit. I am not involved anymore. In fact, I was summoned here by Dumbledore." 

"That is true, Severus." Dumbledore turned the corner of the corridor and smiled politely at Aletta. "Ah, Ms. Averill, it is so good to finally see you again." 

"As is to see you, Albus." She bowed a bit and smiled. Dumbledore had always believed in her, especially during times when she didn't believe in herself. He had helped her see many things that she would have never have seen on her own, and to this she would always be in his debt. 

"Now, before the children arrive, let me explain to you why I have called." Dumbledore took out a piece of parchment from his robe and showed it to the two. "It is of utmost importance that we prepare the children for what might be the hardest year they have seen." He turned to Aletta who was staring at him with a puzzled expression. "Aletta, you are one of the most powerful witches I know, and with your presence here at the school, I would feel better protection for the children." 

Aletta stood there for a moment bewildered. She knew that coming here would bring her trouble and she had been right. 

"But, sir, how can you trust her? After everything she has done, you want her to remain here?" Snape sneered. 

"I believe, Severus, that I trusted you again as well." Dumbledore peered over his half-moon glasses as Snape mumbled. "Now, Aletta, you wouldn't be able to just stay here. I feel that would be too suspicious, so I was hoping you wouldn't mind beginning a dueling club. Your skills with your wand are exquisite, and I think it would be good for the children to be prepared for any type of attack." 

Aletta remained speechless. She wasn't sure how to reply to the offer. She hated the thought of children being around her, she hated Snape and, beyond both put together, she hated McGonagall. 

"I'm not sure, Albus. I am very content in my home. I don't have to worry about children or money, let alone work…"

"Please, Aletta. It would surely make things easier for us." 

"All right, Albus, but I will need to send for my belongings." She shook her head slightly, "I can't believe I'm agreeing to this." She turned to walk away but then realized that there was no where for her to reside. "Albus, where will I be staying?" 

"In the dungeons with Severus." There was an awkward silence but a mischievous twinkle in Dumbledore's eye. 

*********************************

Harry felt alive again as he stepped off the Hogwarts' Express. Although being back to school meant work, he felt more at home here than he did anywhere else. There was a yell for first years and transfers from Hagrid, but, instead of going to say hello, Harry and Ron had both decided to find a carriage. They watched in disappointment as each carriage filled quickly. Harry and Ron groaned. 

"Ron! Harry! We have room over here," came a shout from one of the carriages. Ron jogged over and peeked inside. There were only two people and, luckily enough, they were both Gryffindors.

"Hello Keara…Devlynn," Ron nodded to each of them as he stepped inside. 

"Hello, Ron. How was your summer?" Ron was just about to reply, but realized Keara had continued talking. "Ours was all right. We really didn't do too much. Devy and I practiced some Quidditch moves. Mum let me dye the tips of my hair. Did you notice? I found it particularly excit-" Devlynn threw his hand over her mouth. 

"Sorry, she's been on one of her kicks this morning. Won't shut her mouth for anything." Slowly, he backed his hand away from her mouth and she smirked sarcastically. 

"I'm just excited to be back at school. Everything that's going on is wonderful! There are transfers and new clubs and some one said that-" 

"What do you mean new clubs?" Harry leaned back into his seat as the carriage started to move.

"Well," she began, pulling her long, black hair into a ponytail, "I overheard my father talking, and he said that Dumbledore decided to make some new clubs this year. I'm not exactly sure what they will be, but I'm sure they will be exciting." 

"He didn't tell you what kind of activities would be taking place?" Ron asked.

"No, just said there would be extra things to sign up for," Devlynn replied. 

"As long as it's not another tournament," Keara mumbled under her breath. "That's all we need." 

Harry shrugged his shoulders at Ron. If these things were to happen this year, Harry was sure that it would be most eventful.

****************************************

Josh glanced over at the other tables and threw his face into his hands. The Gryffindors were busy crowding around Harry, the Ravenclaw table seemed to be studying, and the Slytherins were bickering over something petty. He looked down the long table of Hufflepuffs and sighed. Loyal and friendly…That was an understatement. Josh couldn't recall one person from Hufflepuff that ever took the chance to get to know him. Then again, who would want to know Josh Wood, the boring younger brother of the ever so popular Oliver? He smiled mentally. 

"Thank Merlin it's my 7th year," he thought. 

"Hello, Josh," Elizabeth Browne smiled at him and then turned back to her friends. 

"At least someone has the decency to say hello." 

The doors of the Great Hall swung open, and the first years and transfers began to file in. In the midst of the crowd, he noticed a familiar blonde head bobbing in the crowd. She weaved through the crowds of people and quickly ran by Josh. 

"Hey, Josh! I would stop to chat, but I'm late." 

He smiled at her as she quickly passed the other tables and took her seat with the other Slytherins. Amira, on the other hand, was probably his best friend even though she was in Slytherin. He remembered sitting with her on the Hogwarts' Express back in his first year. He was captivated by her then and, in fact, he still was. She had always brought a smile to his face and never once had she compared him to his brother. Adjusting himself slightly in his seat, he turned to watch Professor McGonagall with the first years and the new transfers. He hated the sorting. It was long and boring and usually everyone who was sorted into Hufflepuff was boring as well. 

"When I call your name, please step forward so I can place the sorting hat on your head. Then, when you are sorted, you may take your seat with your house. Graham, Americus."

An older looking girl stepped forward. He figured she was a transfer. Almost immediately she was sorted into Slytherin, and the house broke into applause. 

"Cohen-Rosenberg, Leora." A small girl, definitely a first-year, made her way timidly to the stand. He knew she would be placed into Hufflepuff. 

"Hufflepuff!" yelled the sorting hat, and she too walked shyly to the table. More students were called and sorted. Slytherin received Zella Zelosa, Alanna Roseguard, Cassidy O'Neil, Arielle Mosley, Camille Riozini and Rosalynd Wever.

It looked as though there would be a lot of new mischief going on in Slytherin. He looked over and made eye contact with Amira, who rolled her eyes at the new recruits. He laughed and looked down the table at the new Hufflepuffs. There was of course the Leora girl, whom had taken a seat next to him, Valeriana Zoara, whom was a first year along with the other new Hufflepuffs, Kathryn Caraway, Avalin Quelts, Becky Kolacki, Edeline Reinhard, Zhou Yu Hui, Tara Packstin and Phoebe Hawkey.

Josh watched as Elizabeth, Rose Leonard, and Shayla Hughes began introducing themselves to the new Hufflepuffs. Many of the first years giggled in excitement. Josh snorted back a laugh. First year Hufflepuffs were always the most annoying.

He rested his head in his hands and sighed. It was going to be a long, dreadful year. 

***********************

Dana Terris fixed her auburn bun and smiled at the new exchange Ravenclaw, Hailey Sheridan, if she recalled correctly. She smiled politely at the girl and glanced down the table at the other new members of her house: Kaito Taylor, Kano Caperi, Adalia McBeal, and Paola Lopez. 

They didn't seem so bad. In fact, most of them seemed friendly and excited to begin the new year. 

"How was your summer, Rei?" Dana asked, looking at Rei Takara, who sat across the table from her. 

"Same as every year, but this year a bit harder." 

"I know what you mean," Renate Von Schwarzstab chimed in from across the table. "My parents were so strict about me staying inside this summer." 

"You think you guys had it bad?" Kira turned around to join the conversation. "My mother refused to let Virgil and me play Quidditch at the field by our house. I was forced to stay locked indoors." She looked over to the Gryffindor table and waved to her brother, Virgil de la Désert. 

"You should have sent me an owl, Kira. I would have dropped by to say hello," Justin Fitch-Fletchly added, which made Kira blush. 

Dana smiled and nodded. It had been very hard on all of them when Cedric passed last year. She wasn't sure how to react when it first happened, but, after a day, she couldn't help the massive amounts of tears that fell from her face. 

"Well I'm sure that this year will prove to be better. I'm sure that Dumbledore has taken complete caution in our safety," Celeste Luard firmly stated.

Glancing up at the main table, Dana could see Dumbledore rise to give the year announcements. She closed her eyes and hoped that Celeste was right. This year had to be better then last year. 

*********************

"Harry?" Nadine grabbed his arm and smiled. "I was wondering if Hermione was all right. She seems a bit quiet." She nodded her head down the table. Hermione had taken a seat at the far end of the table with the new boy, Strider, who had been sorted into Gryffindor. 

"I'm not sure, Nadine. I haven't spoken to her yet, but she does seem distracted." 

"Perhaps she didn't have time to read over the break," Seamus choked back a laugh and then turned back to Bianca, his transfer buddy. She had been sorted into Gryffindor along with Nicole Roselynn, Megan Gosnell, Sabrina Chang (who was somehow related to Cho), Michelle Garcia, Willow Harris, and Zoltan Sergent.

"Not amusing, Seamus," Harry spat, turning back towards the front of the room. Nadine sighed and turned as well, hoping that Dumbledore's announcements would be something worth listening to.

  
"First years please note that the forest is forbidden to all. Again, the third floor corridor is off-limits for rather serious reasons." Dumbledore eyed Harry, who turned pink on the ears. "Now children, I understand that this past year was hard, and the year ahead will be harder. I can guarantee it. So, with that in mind, I would like to introduce to you your new Defense Against the Dark Arts Professors." Dumbledore bowed his head towards the table, and two individuals stood from their seats. There were a few murmurs but Dumbledore held his hand up to silence them. "The man whom you see before you is Professor Rex Chase. He will be teaching you the defenses you need to learn. The woman at his right is Professor Mackenzie Parker. She will be teaching you how to perform the arts." More students broke out into whispers. Many faces were planted with shocked expressions. 

"So, you're teaching us how to perform the Dark Arts now?" a voice rose from the back of the Ravenclaw table. 

"No, Mister Reinhard, I can assure you that this is for your protection. The year will be very difficult with the rise of Voldemort, and I feel you need as much leverage as possible. This is also why we have established new activities for you to join. There will be a new Theater Class for you, which will be run by Professor Parker. There will also be Quidditch dance teams you can try out for, and, finally, we will begin a Dueling club for anyone who would like to learn extra techniques. The club will be taught by Professor Aletta Averill." A tall woman waved her hand in the air. "Now, please worry about such things later. Let's all enjoy the feast!" Clapping his hands together, an array of food spread before everyone. 

"Excuse me," Harry felt a tug on his robe, "but are you really Harry Potter? The boys down there keep telling me you're not, but I think they are lying." Harry turned slowly towards the new girl. "I really don't mean to be a bother, but, you see, my cousin talks about you all the time. I was just trying to put a face to the name."

"Who is your cousin?" Harry asked, grabbing a piece of bread from a basket. 

"Oh, she's in Ravenclaw…Cho Chang. I'm Sabrina. It's nice to meet you, Harry." 

"Oh, that's all Harry needs to hear. He will probably talk your ear off for the rest of the night," Ron spat through bites of his chicken. 

"Eat a flubberworm, Ron!" Harry laughed, turning back to Sabrina. "Well, it's nice to meet you, Sabrina." She smiled and turned back to Nicole, whom she was getting to know. 

"Hey, Ginny, why don't you and Wren join us in this universe instead of making up your own little planet?" Ron shot at his sister. 

Ginny shot him a nasty look and then turned back to Morwen, her best friend. They could sit for hours by themselves and talk about absolutely anything. Ginny was so glad she had become friends with Wren last year, even if she was a year younger. 

"So, he didn't stay at all over the summer?" Wren began again in a hushed voice. 

"No, he didn't even owl as much as he usually does." Ginny looked over her shoulder again at Harry, whom had taken up conversation with the new girl, Willow. "I don't know, Wren. I'm not even sure if I like him anymore," she sighed and leaned her head on the table. "Everything is changing." 

"Ginny, are you feeling ok? I mean, you just said that you didn't like Harry anymore!" 

" I don't…" 

" All right, I'm convinced. You must be sick!" She felt Ginny's forehead and laughed, "Oh, Ginny, what will I do with you?" 

*****************************

"So, how long have you been fighting the Dark Lord?" Mackenzie asked, walking down the long corridor with Rex. 

"Oh, it's always been something I've done. Never really enjoyed staying in one place. Most of my time was spent traveling around fighting off the Dark Lord and his followers." Rex shoved his hands into the pockets of his robe. "What about you, Mackenzie? When did you get involved?" 

"Please, call me Mac. I hate my full name." Clearing her throat, she looked over her shoulder to make sure they were alone. "It's nothing at all like your story. On the contrary, I was always good at the Dark Arts. I performed a lot of black magic when I was a child. Nothing too extensive, but I didn't know any better. I was a muggle living on the streets, and when I started school, I excelled in Defense Against the Dark. " 

"Didn't your parents ever teach you that black magic was wrong? I mean, honestly, I find that a bit odd. I would think parents, even muggle parents, would understand that what you were doing was wrong." Rex shook his head.

"My parents are dead, Mr. Chase. That's why I never knew any better," stopping short, she turned on her heel and walked briskly back down the hall. Rex stood there feeling very stupid. 

"Well, I can see you still have a way with the women," a voice sounded behind him and he knew right away who it was. 

"Ah, Severus, I was looking forward to speaking with you alone. We have much to catch up on!" Rex smiled and placed his arm around Snape's shoulders. 

Shrugging it off, a small smile curled on his face, " Indeed we do, Chase. Indeed we do." 

*****************************************

The Slytherin common room was the worst place to be after dinner. Most of the time, kids were arguing over which family had more money or which spell was more powerful. Amira pushed past a few of the first years whom were playing chess, and she headed for an empty spot on the couch. She had already placed her name on the various activity lists, so there was nothing more to worry during the course of the night. 

"Er…Um, I don't mean to be rude if you're busy. It's just that, well, my transfer buddy is in Hufflepuff and I really don't know anyone else. Would you mind if I sat here with you?" 

"Not at all. My name is Amira," smiling, she held out her hand.

"Alanna, Alanna Roseguard." 

"Well, Alanna, welcome to the wonderful world of a Slytherin!" Amira rolled her eyes again, a habit her friend, Josh Wood, had pointed out back in fifth year. "Let me be blatantly honest with you: I am not a Death Eater, I don't plan on being a Death Eater, and, in fact, I wish I wasn't even in this house." 

"Neither do we." Amira and Alanna both looked up at Pansy Parkinson, who apparently seemed to be eavesdropping on their conversation. "Gods, Mira, sometimes I wonder how you did get in here. You're a waste of Slytherin blood." A few giggles sounded behind Pansy, which was obviously her gang of loons. Amira could make out Blaise, Erika, Alina, and Isabelle. They had been following Pansy around for years it seemed, but now there were some others to add to the group. 

"Let me guess, Pansy, you've already recruited some more losers to join you?" sneered Amira. 

"Clever remarks from such a boring individual." Pansy gently took the shoulder of one of the girls and pulled her to the front. "Meet Zella, Camielle, and Cassidy." She pointed to her left side, "And this is Arielle and Rosalynd." 

"Please, girls, I'm warning you now. If you have half a brain, drop this fool." Alanna giggled at Amira's remark and then covered her mouth. 

"I can see you have already made a mush of this one." Pansy choked back a laugh, "She seems a little too weak for my taste anyway." 

"Oh, get off it, Pansy!" Ginger pushed through the girls and sat down next to Amira and Alanna. Ginger Silverstone was a fifth year, but, to Amira, she was her best friend besides Josh. 

"Be careful, Silverstone. Watch your choice of words," Isabelle shot back, cracking her knuckles. 

"I'm watching you, Mira," Pansy turned and the others followed, although some of their expressions showed a massive amount of nervousness. 

"When isn't she watching me? Gods, I hate the girl," Amira sat back in the couch and pushed her hair out of her face. 

"Don't we all?" Ginger replied pulling out a large book from her bag. 

"Alanna, this is my best Slytherin friend, Ginger. She's in her 5th year." Ginger smiled at Alanna and held out her hand. 

"Nice to meet you, Alanna. As you can tell, we are nothing like the snots in here. They obsess over the Dark Lord and all, but most of them are harmless. Just watch out for some of them…like Alina. She's quiet but real tricky," Ginger wiggled her eyebrows, which made Amira and Alanna laugh. 

"I think you two are exactly who I need to be friends with," Alanna concluded, still smiling. Amira returned the smile and relaxed on the couch. "Perhaps Hogwarts won't be so bad after all." 

*********************************

Intelligence: That's what got her into this mess. Hailey kicked the corner of her four-post bed and sighed. She didn't like the fact that she was considered brainy. Why not brave or cunning instead? Hailey was surely those as well. Grabbing her journal, she left the room and headed for the common room. It had already begun to file out, so she grabbed the furthest chair from civilization and began to jot down her thoughts. 

__

Dear Journal, 

I hate being the new person. I feel like such an outcast, and that really isn't me at all. I wish someone would take the time to talk to me. During the sorting, I spotted a very good-looking boy from one of the other houses…He looked almost exactly like my old boyfriend, Kevin. I really must find out who he is…

"Excuse me? You're a transfer right?" Hailey looked up at the girl who was in front of her. 

"Yes, a 7th year transfer, in fact." She placed her quill between the pages of her journal and closed it tight. 

"Really? I'm a 7th year as well. Hopefully we have some classes together. I'm Maika Cruz, and you?"

"Hailey Sheridan," she smiled politely. 

"What are you writing about? Anything interesting? The feast was actually kind of dull this year." 

"Actually, I was writing about a boy I noticed…" Hailey blushed a bit. 

"Oh, really? Who? Please don't tell me it's Anton or Ryne!" Maika laughed. "They can be so weird sometimes." 

"Actually I don't know who he was. He was tall, had red hair, and sat at the Gryffindor table. I think, if I heard correctly, his name was George." 

"Oh…" Maika went silent. 

"What? Is there something wrong with him?" 

"Actually, no. George is really nice. Very funny too, but…well…Dana, I don't know if you've met her yet, well, she has had a thing for George since third year. Don't tell her you like him. She gets possessive."

Hailey's mouth formed a silent, "Oh!"

"Well then, I guess I better keep it a secret. I don't want to go making enemies with anyone," Hailey whispered. 

"No, don't be silly. Come on, it's getting late and, besides, we don't want to be down here with the boys. They can get annoying," Maika said rather loudly. 

"Hey! I resent that!" Anton yelled from across the room. "I heard you!"

Giggling a bit, the girls headed up towards the dormitory. Hailey began talking about her life and why she came to Hogwarts while Maika listened intently. She was definitely going to be a great friend.

**************************

"Checkmate," Ron boasted proudly as Devlynn sighed. "You guys need to practice more. Beating you just isn't as fun anymore." 

"I'll beat you one of these days, Weasley. Just you wait," Devlynn snorted and began packing up his pieces. "Have you seen my sister? When she's quiet for this long, I get nervous." 

"Nervous about what, Devvy?" Keara jumped on top of him and smiled asking, "Afraid I might run off and never come home? Oh, how sweet you are to me!" She planted a giant kiss on his cheek. 

"I'm going to sleep," Devlynn murmured, wiping his sister's kiss from his face. "You're gross sometimes, you know?" Keara laughed as Devlynn walked up to the boys' third year dormitory. 

"Ron, have you met the new Gryffindors yet?" she questioned, pointing to a group of people huddled by the fireplace. 

"No, actually, I haven't…Well, I did meet Bianca. She was nice, and I spoke to Willow at dinner."

"Come on, I'll introduce you to them." Keara pulled his arm and drug him over to the group of girls who were sitting around the fireplace. "Ron, this is Meagn Gosnell, Zoltan Sergent, Nicole Roselynn, you know your sister and Wren…and this is Michelle Garcia …Right?" The girl nodded. " And this is Sabrina Chang, Cho's cousin, and you know Nicola," Keara continued. 

"Yes, we know each other," Nicola whispered and quickly looked away. 

"It's nice to meet you all," Ron smiled and Keara pulled him away from the group again. 

"Where's Harry? I haven't seen him all night," she asked. Looking around the common room, she let out a long growl. "Well if you see him or Hermione, tell them I said goodnight." Keara then pulled Ron in and kissed his cheek. "Goodnight, Ron!" She turned and left, laughing the entire way. 

"She has way too much energy at times!" Ron thought to himself, wiping the slimy kiss from his face. Yet, she was right. Where was Harry? He took long strides to the portrait and left hoping that Harry or Hermione were not very far away.

Harry walked in the shadows, following Hermione and Strider. He had yet to meet Strider, but already he found him disturbing. Something about him had enchanted Hermione, and Harry did not like it at all. He followed them down the corridor and watched them disappear into an empty classroom. 

"What are you doing Hermione?" Harry thought taking a few more steps towards the classroom. 

"Harry!" his heart stopped for a moment then he turned around with his finger pressed to his lips. 

"Shhhhhhhh!" he hissed. 

Ron jogged up behind him and looked down the hall. "What are you doing, Harry? I've been looking everywhere for you! What are you shhhhh-ing me about?" Harry pointed to a classroom and they both peeked inside. Hermione and Strider were lost in a deep conversation, and, by the looks of it, they were holding hands. "Hey, what's he doing?" Ron whispered in Harry's ear. 

"I'm not sure. It looks suspicious," Harry whispered back. 

"The only thing that looks suspicious is two boys out of their rooms at this time." Aletta stood behind them with her hands across her chest. "May I ask what you two are doing?" 

"Well, you see, professor, Harry was…well, I was…and then Harry…" Ron looked at Harry with pleading eyes. 

"We were checking up on our friend. She's inside this classroom," Harry pointed for the professor. 

"Ms. Granger and Mr. Lunas have special permission to be out. You two on the other hand…" 

"Actually, Professor Averill, if it is ok, I would like to speak to my friends," Hermione inched out of the door. "Even if they are spying on me." 

"Very well, Ms. Granger. Don't let me catch you again," she eyed Harry and Ron and then continued down the hall. 

"Remind me not to sign up for that dueling club," breathed Ron. 

"Come inside, both of you," Hermione's voice was distant and Harry immediately knew something was wrong. 

The entered the class in silence, barely even exchanging glances with Strider, whom they had yet to meet. Harry took a seat across from Hermione and Ron stood behind, next to him. There was an awkwardness in the air and Harry fidgeted in his seat. 

"Something happened to me this morning," she choked a bit and Strider placed his hand on her shoulder. "The reason I wasn't on the train this morning was because…. I went downstairs and…and…" Hermione burst into tears, "my parents were murdered! Lucius Malfoy…he killed my parents!" 

Harry looked at Ron, whose face had gone completely white. Hermione cried, shaking a bit as Strider rubbed her back. Harry stood from his seat and embraced her. She lowered her head in between his head and shoulder and cried. They remained there the entire night. 

********************************

Aletta slowly made her way down the hall, checking each classroom for signs of trouble. She recalled back in her day the many times she had snuck out at night. This time she would be able to administer the punishment instead of receiving it. It was quiet and peaceful and Aletta desperately wished she was at home with her tea, her books, and Emmy. A small movement from behind a statue caught her attention and quickly she removed her wand. Whatever it was had tried to hide again, but she knew better. She, after all, had been involved with things like this for years. 

"Come out. I won't hurt you unless I have a reason." There was a whimper and another clatter. "Please make this easy." Another clatter from behind the statue brought the intruder out into plain sight. "Emmy?" Aletta questioned. 

"Oh, missy, Emmy received your letter and was so sad. She brought your things, like Missy asked, but she couldn't leave without a goodbye." A tear fell from the house-elf's eye. 

"Emmy, you should have told me you were still here." Aletta walked over and hugged her tightly. 

"Please don't leave again, Missy. Emmy remembers when you were gone all that time ago. Emmy will miss you, she will." 

"How about I see if you can stay here with me? Would you like that Emmy? You can live with me here until I come home." Emmy's eyes opened wide with excitement. 

"Oh, Missy, yes! Emmy would love that!" she clapped her hands together then took Aletta by the hand. "Now show Emmy where you sleep so she can keep your things nice." 

Aletta grumbled a bit, "It's down in the dungeons, Emmy. I guess I'll show you." 

She guided Emmy towards her room and prayed that Snape had already gone to bed. 

NOTE:

All right guys, I am almost one hundred and fifty percent positive that everyone was mentioned in this chapter. It's really hard to get everyone to interact in the chapter, but I promise that they will. The story just needs to get underway. All right, please review when you're done. I know you cant review for the same chapter twice (which is what it will say) but do it unsigned and I would be most grateful. Okay? Thanks guys! Next chapter will be out soon!!

  
  
  



	3. A Nephew, Twins And An Elf

Disclaimer: Not my stuff, never was my stuff, please don't sue me. All characters belong to JKR or the rightful authors who let me play with them.  
  
  
Note: Sorry this chapter took so long. I've been very busy with school and such. Hopefully you will enjoy this chapter. At the rate I'm going, it looks like this story is going to be ultra long. Thank you to everyone that reviewed and a special thanks to Kim for helping me get through all this. Everyone say thank you to Kim, because without her the story would have terrible punctuation and lots of misspelled words. Thanks Kim. All right, now onto the chapter and, when you're done, please review!  
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Chapter 3 ~ A Nephew, Twins and an Elf   
  
  
  
  
  
The moonlight sat softly against the edge of the Forbidden Forest while the wind played with the branches of each tree. It was quiet outside the walls of Hogwarts; everything was completely quiet. Hagrid walked merrily back to his hut carrying a few logs of wood that would be used to build a pen for his new pet, a Demiguise. He was particularly excited about this creature, because it resembled an ape and could make itself invisible. Whistling merrily, he didn't notice the pair of eyes that watched him enter his house. Once he entered, the figure bolted towards the school; the moonlight never once identifying the shadow. How things had come to this, she wasn't sure, but she knew exactly who could help her: The same man who had helped her once before. Surveying the grounds, she continued to run, hoping that nothing had identified her. Explaining how she got here would be difficult but it was nothing she wasn't used to. A light flickered past one of the front windows and she waited until it had dimmed from sight. Skulking towards the castle like an animal on the prowl, she inched closer to the school. Carefully, she made her way up to the front door and then, as though she had never emerged from the forest, she disappeared.   
  
  
***********  
  
  
Severus Snape closed the door to his chambers and turned around with a smile. It had been years since he had since Rex and he was glad to see him return. Snape moved across the room and motioned for Rex to sit and, as he did, Snape sat in a plush chair by the fire. For awhile they sat there in silence (after all, it had been years since they had seen each other and neither knew particularly what to say). Snape cleared his throat and adjusted himself in his seat.   
  
"Have you been careful out in the field?" he asked, eyeing Rex suspiciously.  
  
"Well, things have been getting harder. I mean, after all, chasing after Dark Lords is not an easy task…" Snape raised his eyebrows as Rex finished, "But I'm fine, perfectly fine."   
  
"Have you encountered any Death Eaters?"  
  
"Oh, plenty, but most of them either plead they were under curses or just ended up fighting till their deaths…Nothing out of the ordinary." Rex sighed and rubbed his temple. "Why are you playing twenty questions with me? You know I am perfectly capable of handling these jobs. I've been doing them since I was barely an adult."   
  
"As hard as it may seem, I do worry about you, " admitted Snape. He pushed his black greasy hair away from his face.   
  
"I noticed Aletta has returned. Can you trust her?…Can Dumbledore?" Rex narrowed his eyes and waited for the answer.   
  
"Dumbledore is the one who contacted her, but, as far as I know, she is not involved with the dark anymore. That doesn't mean you shouldn't keep an eye on her," Snape grumbled.   
  
"She still makes you uncomfortable, doesn't she?" Rex laughed. "After all these years, you still can't forget, can you? I bet you still hold a grudge on that Potter kid as well." He laughed some more. "You have issues…"   
  
"I have none of the sort. I choose to keep my suspicion alert. I don't trust many; you should know that."   
  
"Ah, yes, it's in the Snape blood…What was it you told me once…Suspicion is the key to power?…Ha, you're a funny one, Severus."   
  
"I would rather you keep your jokes outside my presence," Snape sneered gazing into the fire.   
  
"All right! I understand. Now, if you're done lecturing me about my safety, I would like to go to sleep." Rex rose from his chair and stretched. "It's been nice talking to you, Severus."   
  
"Likewise, Rex, but promise me you will keep alert and inform me of anything suspicious."   
  
Rex opened the door and looked over his shoulder. "I promise. Anything funny and you will be the first to know. Goodnight, Uncle." Rex closed the door.   
  
Severus slumped back in his chair. It was bad enough he had to deal with Potter and his moronic friends, but now he had to deal with his wise-ass nephew as well.  
  
  
  
***********  
  
  
The Great Hall was crowded as Harry dragged himself to an empty spot at the Gryffindor table. He had stayed in the room with Hermione, Ron and Strider almost the entire night and he felt like he hadn't slept in days. Hermione didn't speak much after she had told them what happened. It was almost a chore for her to tell the whole story, but Strider was helpful filling in the gaps. Dropping onto the seat, Harry rested his head down on his arms and closed his eyes.   
  
"Rough night, Potter?" Malfoy smirked at him. "Ladies keeping you up all hours?"   
  
"Not now, Malfoy. I'm too tired to-" Harry was cut off by a squeal from the back of the room.   
  
"Draco, have you come to eat with me today?" Willow batted her eyelashes. "You're such a great buddy!" she smiled and sat down. Some of the other Gryffindors stifled their laughs.   
  
"I'm not hungry anymore." Draco turned to walk away but couldn't help but notice Ginny Weasley sitting at the far end of the table. It was funny to see her far away from Potter. She had the reputation of being his walking, talking shadow. Yet, there she was, sitting with that boring friend of hers, and she looked beautiful. He was surprised he didn't notice her last night at the sorting but things had been hectic. He mentally smacked himself.   
  
"Malfoy's do not have pleasant thoughts about Weasels." But the more he looked at her, the more he realized how attractive she had become. Ginny's red hair was not the same flaming red of her git brothers, her eyes were a deep chocolate brown and her complexion was flawless. Then there was her body. She had developed some curves over the summer and it was surely suiting her well. Biting his lip, Draco walked to the end of the table and stopped in front of Ginny and Wren.   
  
"Morning, Virginia," he tried to smile and sound sincere, but, being Draco Malfoy, it sounded sarcastic.   
  
She looked up from her plate of eggs asking, "Do you hear something, Wren? It sounds like dead air. Must be someone unimportant." Ginny resumed eating her eggs and Draco turned in embarrassment. He had just made an utter fool of himself. The Slytherin code was right: Never get involved with someone from another house. But, then, why couldn't he stop staring at her?   
  
Ginny turned to Wren who was crying in hysterics. A small smile formed on her lips and she too began too giggle.   
  
"That was great, Gin! Did you see his face? He actually looked like he cared." Wren snorted back some more laughter. "Oh, wow, that was great!"  
  
"It's odd though; Malfoy never calls me Virginia." She glanced over her shoulder at Malfoy, who was talking to Alina and Camielle.   
  
"You don't think he was serious, do you? I mean, this is Draco Malfoy. THE Draco Malfoy! The same Draco who has harassed you for the past four years." Wren bent in a bit closer whispering, "But you do have to admit, he is rather good to gawk at."   
  
Ginny smiled and continued with her breakfast. The year had barely begun and already she was dreading every minute of seeing Draco Malfoy.   
  
  
  
**************************  
  
  
  
"What do you have first, Edeline?" Valeriana asked, reaching for a piece of toast. Students had just received their schedules and, being first years, the girls were very nervous.   
  
"Potions with a Professor Snape." Edeline looked up as Elizabeth choked on a piece of her sausage.   
  
"Oh, I'm terribly sorry for you, Eddy! That's a terrible class to start with. Snape is a monster." She shook her head.   
  
"I have Potions first too," Leora sighed, tucking her schedule inside one of her books. "It doesn't look like it's going to be fun, but at least we have it with the Ravenclaws. They're nice."   
  
"I have Charms first. Does anyone else have that?" Avalin began.   
  
"I do! We can walk together," Valeriana smiled and gulped down some juice.   
  
"Great! It makes me feel better knowing I won't have to walk alone," Avalin replied.   
  
There was a loud squeal and the students turned to see one of the new Gryffindor girls run over to Draco Malfoy, whom had positioned himself at the table. The girl said a few words and the entire Gryffindor table burst into laughter. Many of the other tables looked around with curiosity.   
  
" What happened?" Rose asked Elizabeth, who was now laughing as well.   
  
"Oh, it was great!" Shayla chimed in. "Willow came running up to the table excited that Draco was going to eat with the Gryffindors." She snorted back some laughter and continued, "He was so taken aback that he just mumbled something and walked away. Can you believe it? Malfoy didn't answer back with a smartass remark." Shayla dropped her head onto the table and continued to laugh.   
  
By now the entire great hall was rolling in laughter and Draco, whom had stopped in front of Ginny Weasley, stormed over to his table where a lame group of Slytherin girls smothered him with their concerns. "Oh, Dracee, are you all right?" Pansy stuck her nose right in Draco's face and, with all his strength, he pushed her aside.   
  
"Not now, Parkinson," he groaned and turned to the girl on his right. He wasn't sure if she was new nor did he actually care. All he wanted to get out of Hogwarts and the quicker the better.   
  
"I don't like her much either," the girl next to him began, not taking her eyes off her banana. "She thinks that everything should revolve around her. Well, honestly, if she ticks me off one more time, my fist will be revolving into her face!"   
  
"What's your name?" Draco asked, intrigued by the girl's attitude. "Are you one of the transfers?"   
  
"Cassidy O'Neil. Yes, I am. I'm from New York."   
  
"Oh, in the States." He looked her over. Thin, wavy hair that hung lanky on her back. Eyes that almost seemed to be changing color with each passing second and a rather skinny build. "So, why did you transfer?"   
  
"My parents," she had still not looked at him, and it was beginning to become annoying to him, "they needed to move suddenly. Something important was going on in England. Pretty lame if I say so." Cassidy tossed the peel onto the table. "But what can I tell you? They breathe, drink, eat and sleep dark arts. I watch and laugh." Finally turning her head, she held out her hand.   
  
"It's nice to meet you, Mr. Malfoy." She shook his hand firmly. "My parents knew your parents, so they spoke about you a lot." She looked over his shoulder and glanced at Pansy, who was talking excitedly to Alina. "What do you say we hex her? It would be a good laugh," she giggled.   
  
"First, I meet that Willow girl from America, she's insane, and now you. Gods, why are Americans so strange?"   
  
"We're lucky. I guess." Smiling devilishly, she grabbed her bag. "Hope to see you in one of my classes. It was rather nice speaking to you." She stood from the table and bent down close to Draco's ear, "And, if you want me to hex her, just let me know." Winking, she turned and left the Great Hall, leaving Draco at the table still shaking his head.   
  
  
  
****************************  
  
  
Dana hurried through the halls towards the Quidditch pitch. It was one thing to be late for class, but she had flying with George Weasley today, and being late for that was like forgetting to breathe. Pushing past some first years, she darted outside and smacked into Maika and Hailey.   
  
"Hey, you guys, sorry to be rude but I'm late for flying." Dana grabbed her bag, which had fallen to the floor just as Maika grabbed her shoulder.   
  
"Well, if you wait a second, we will join you. We don't have a class right now so we will come watch you down on the pitch," Maika suggested, nodding towards Hailey, who was next to her.   
  
"Well, come on then. I bet George doesn't even think I'm coming anymore!" Dana yelled over her shoulder as she headed down onto the field.   
  
Hailey stiffened at this remark, which made Maika smile. "Hey, they're not together yet! You still have time to make your move," she whispered.   
  
"Yes, if I want to get my face beaten in by Dana," Hailey replied, rolling her eyes.   
  
"If you two are coming, I suggest picking up the pace!" Dana had stopped and was standing with her hands on her hips. The two girls jogged down to where she was and they continued across the grounds quickly. "What were you two whispering about?" Dana raised her right eyebrow at the two.   
  
"Oh, nothing important. Just wondering who else will be in our Divination class," Maika stated quickly. She liked Dana, and always had, but she didn't want to see Hailey get on the wrong side of her. Hailey gave her a thankful smile and soon they were walking out onto the pitch.   
  
Madam Hooch was scolding Anton and Ryne, whom had been playing chicken on their brooms. The point of the game was to fly as fast as you could towards the other person, and then one of two outcomes would apply: Either you crashed, or one would pull away, leaving the other as the victor. By the way the two looked, neither had won, but the crash had been intense. Hailey and Maika took their seats in the stands and watched Dana run onto the field. Madam Hooch deducted 30 points from Ravenclaw: Twenty for the game of chicken and ten for Dana's lateness.   
  
"I bet she runs over to George now," Maika guessed, and, as though Dana was reading her mind, she ran over to George and gave him a quick hug. He smiled back at her but looked a bit uncomfortable. Lee Jordan laughed at this and then took off on his broom.   
  
"Hi, George! " Maika yelled, pulling his attention away from Dana. He looked over, waved, and then, pushing Dana aside, he mounted his broom and began to fly over.   
  
"What are you doing?" Hailey hissed.   
  
"Introducing you to your love," Maika drawled in a sarcastic tone.   
  
George landed next to them and plopped on the bench. "Ah, Dana's starting already. Reckon I should give her a chance this year, after all, it is our last?" he sighed, wiping some sweat off his face.   
  
"I wouldn't rush into anything, George," Maika patted his shoulder and then turned to Hailey. "George, have you met Hailey yet? She's a 7th year Ravenclaw."   
  
"No, but it's nice to meet you," he held out his hand and Hailey shook it. She felt her face blush a bit when he let go. "Shy, are you? Well, we will have to change that, won't we Maika?" George laughed and then stood. "I better get back to class; I don't want Madam Hooch to get on my case!" Throwing his leg over the side of his broom, he pushed off and flew back over to Lee, who had already begun asking him questions.   
  
"I thought I was going to begin hyperventilating!" Hailey laughed, clutching her chest with her hand.   
  
"Nah, George is too nice to be nervous around." Maika stood and grabbed Hailey by the arm. "Come on! If we're going to get to Divination on time, we best be off." The two waved goodbye to Dana and George and then headed back towards the school.   
  
The corridors were already filling with students as the two jogged up the stairs towards Divination. There was a shout towards the far end of the hall, and the two girls saw Ryo and Harry break apart from one of their famous duels. After bowing to each other like usual, Ryo turned to face Hailey and Maika.   
  
"Ladies, please tell me that you are heading to Divination."   
  
"Have you been fighting with Harry again?" Maika began.  
  
"You didn't answer me," he smiled and turned to Hailey. " Well, are you?"  
  
"Yes, we are. In fact, why don't you join us?" Hailey answered, ushering the two towards the staircase.   
  
Entering the classroom, Hailey took a seat next to Maika and Ryo sat in front of them. The class filled up quickly. Hailey turned in her seat to see in she recognized anyone. Almost immediately, she gasped and grabbed Maika's arm, who yelped in pain.   
  
"Ow! Hailey, what's that all about?" rubbing her shoulder gently, Maika looked at Hailey's eyes, which were transfixed on the door. Fred Weasley walked in with a giant grin on his face. Maika giggle to herself; she had completely forgotten to tell Hailey that George had a twin. "Hello, Fred!" Maika waved to him and he strode over. Turning around to Hailey, Maika almost died by the look of confusion set on Hailey's face.   
  
"Hello, Mai! Have a nice summer?" Fred asked, pulling up a chair.   
"It was fine, thanks. Hey, Fred, have you met Hailey? She's a 7th year Ravenclaw."   
  
"Nice to meet you, Hailey," Fred smiled, stretching his hand out.   
  
"Yes, nice to meet me…" Hailey rubbed her forehead.   
  
"Is she all right, Mai? She seems a bit out of it." Fred placed his hand on her forehead and shrugged. "No fever…so it's not the wizard flu…"   
  
"Oh no, Fred, she's fine. She didn't know you and George were twins, so when I called you Fred, she got confused basically because she has this thing fo- Ow!" Maika rubbed her shin. Hailey smiled knowing that she had just kicked Maika quite hard.   
  
"Girls are nutters sometimes…" Shaking his head, Fred turned around and began speaking to Ryo.   
  
"Why didn't you tell me he had a twin?" Hailey cried in a whisper.   
  
"Honestly, it didn't cross my mind," Maika giggled and soon the both were rolling in hysterics.   
  
  
  
**********************  
  
  
Professor Dumbledore sat smugly at his desk, watching the clouds roll gently over the hills in the distance. There was a small gentile knock at the door and Dumbledore, who seemed to be expecting it, smiled.   
  
"Come in…" he called in a clam, soothing tone.   
  
The door creaked open slowly and a slender arm came around. The fingernails were long and beautiful. Soon they were followed by a timid face, which peeked around the edge with curiosity. A long mass of dark brown hair fell across the delicate face and, curling her lips up at the corners, she smiled.   
  
"Are you Professor Dumbledore?" she asked, her voice a bit shaky.   
  
"Yes, and you are?" He stroked his beard with his old fingers.   
  
"Aiwendil Elvenstar. May I come in, sir?" she asked, still peering around the edge of the door.   
  
"Yes, my dear! Please do and close the door behind you." His eyes twinkled as the tall, frail girl entered the room.   
  
She wore a long, dark green dress that was lined with black velvet. The sleeves hung belled and long, and the neckline was low and square. Her hair was pulled back in a clip which revealed slightly pointed ears. Her eyes were a deep green and in them he could see a vast amount of knowledge and torment. Moving across the room, she sat down in the chair across from him and folded her hands on her lap. Dumbledore opened the top drawer of his desk and pulled out a dish filled with small yellow candies.   
  
"Lemon drop?" he asked her, popping one into his mouth.   
  
"No thank you, sir," she answered, her eyes transfixed on the windows.  
  
"I must say your entrance here last night was cunning. I couldn't believe that you were able to apparate through the wards that are sent around the castle."   
  
"You saw me?" she asked, her voice and eyes full of surprise. "But I was so careful…I didn't think anyone saw me…"   
  
"My old eyes see more than most people think they do. Now then," he rose from his chair and walked towards the window, "I will not ask how you found me; I will leave that for my vast imagination to wonder about, but what I do need to know is where you came from and exactly what your doing here."   
  
There was an awkward silence and Aiwendil sighed. Closing her eyes for a moment, a small tear fell from her face. "It's not that I'm bad, sir. Please understand that. It's just that I can't control my urges anymore." She let a few more tears fall from her face. "I've been living now for almost 2000 years, and, being an elf, discovering magic was a blessing. But I took my knowledge too far and now the dark arts consume me. It beckons me to taste the power. It whispers in my ears at night and, the harder I try to avoid it, the more I become intrigued by it. Now…" she lifted her face to the light and looked into the gentle face of Dumbledore, "the Dark Lord, whom you call Voldemort, learned of my power. He's trying to bring me to the dark side. This is why I came here; to learn the way of light, to be safe, and to avoid the pressure of turning dark." Closing her eyes, she sighed.   
  
"Oh, my dear. Well, I can tell you that you have made a good start by coming here. You certainly know how to choose the safest place. Now, as far as residing here, I see no problem in doing so, but you will need to obtain a wand to use," she pulled a wand from her pocket as he continued, "school robes," with a flick of her arm, a set of school robes appeared in her lap, "books, a cauldron, and eh never mind…I'm sure you can obtain them." Dumbledore chuckled a bit and then turned to the tattered sorting hat that sat on the stool. "Now, all you need to do is place this on your head and see where you are sorted." He picked the hat off the stool and placed it on her head.   
  
She waited in silence. The sorting hat remained quiet and motionless, and then, suddenly, she heard a loud voice ring in her ears, "Your head is full of darkness…but your heart pushes towards bravery…Gryffindor would help you achieve that, but there's something more I see…hmm…I must say the choice will ultimately be yours…but for now, your cunning capabilities place you in Slytherin!" the voice of the hat rang out loud and clear. Dumbledore smiled.   
  
"You will join the Slytherin house at dinner this evening. For now, I invite you to stay here and relax."   
  
"Professor, one more thing, it's going to be hard enough to explain to everyone why I'm late and why I look different. Is there any way I could change my name for the school year?" Aiwendil asked.  
  
"I think it would be perfect if we called you Mel, the elvish name for love. I think it would work wonderfully." Looking over his glasses, Dumbledore smiled at her and left the room.   
  
Sinking back into the chair, Aiwendil combed her fingers through her hair. She had done it. She had made it to Hogwarts. Now all she had to do was gain the trust of all the teachers before she could learn everything she needed to know. 


	4. What Are You Hiding?

Disclaimer: Not my stuff, never was my stuff, please don't sue me. All characters belong to JKR or the rightful authors who let me play with them.

Note: Hello! I'm terribly sorry that this took so long. I'm so tied down with school it has become difficult to post as often as I would like, but I'm still here! And this story will be finished no matter how long it takes! This chapter isn't as long as I would have liked, but I wanted to post something for you all. Hope it's all right, and please (when you're done) review. Let me know of anything. Thank you! 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Chapter 4 ~ What Are You Hiding? 

Aletta stepped into the classroom and groaned loudly. Almost half of the school was inside, all eagerly awaiting the start of the new dueling club. She walked to the front of the room and took her wand out of her bag. Glancing around the classroom quickly, she picked out the student sitting front and center and shouted, "Petrificus Totalus!"

Rei Takara fell off her chair and down to the floor. The entire room burst into laughter but soon Aletta began pointing her wand towards them. Americus, Alina, Ryne, Ron and Katie Bell were the next to fall over before everyone took out their wands in retaliation. 

"Well, it is about time." Aletta placed her wand down on the table and looked at the wide-eyed students. Most of them were staring at the ones who were under the full body bind. 

"Don't worry; they will be fine in a few minutes." She shook her head and motioned for everyone to take a seat. "You see, class, you need to be on your toes twenty four hours a day." 

"But then when do we sleep Professor?" Macaroni asked, still laughing at Americus (who was on the floor). 

"You don't, silly child." Aletta walked across the room and looked down at the students who had begun to move again. "Please, once you can, take your seats." She walked back to the front of the room. "In this dueling club we will be learning the correct way to defend yourself in rather difficult situations. You will learn to carry your wand in the palm of your hand at all times." A hand rose from the back of the room. "Yes?"

"How exactly will we be learning this?" Draco asked. 

"By hand-on-hand experience with other students. We will be taking a few weeks to learn different methods of defense and dueling. We will then be paired up with each other and tested on skill and speed."

There were murmurs of excitement throughout the room and Aletta rolled her eyes thinking, "You children have no idea how serious this is." 

She handed out a few pieces of parchment and the students looked at them with wonder. There were many pictures of dueling stances and blurbs of information. The students read them over with curiosity. Aletta stood in the front of the room and watched them talk excitedly about the club. 

"All right, class, next week we will begin your first lesson. For now, you are free to go." She gathered her things together and left the classroom. 

"But we still have another half an hour left of class," Michelle Garcia stated. 

"Well, now you have time to finish your homework," Aletta shot sarcastically and continued out the door, leaving the students sitting in the classroom very confused.

"Children," she muttered as she continued down the hall, "How did I get myself stuck with these children?" Turning the corner of the corridor, she noticed Snape not too far away. Instead of harassing him like she usually would, she decided to take a staircase and head in the opposite direction. 

"Aletta, I'm not blind you know," Snape said coming up behind her.

"I'm not in the mood, Severus. I just had to deal with a bunch of whiny kids and all I really want is to go back to my room with a cup of tea."

"I understand," he said softly.

"Listen, I don't need -- What?" She stopped and shot him a quizzical face. "What do you mean you understand? Since you've been teaching here for so long, surly you have grown accustom to these kids."

"On the contrary, Aletta, I despise them…and they despise me. It's almost a mutual agreement."

"Then why stay here? Leave…Wouldn't that make more sense?" 

"You would think, but I owe Dumbledore a lot…" he trailed off. "Walk with me to the dungeons…" They turned and headed down a different flight of stairs. 

The halls were cool. The October breeze was settling in and Aletta shivered; she hated the coldness. Aletta tried to bring up some small talk but nothing seemed to click. After awhile, they both went silent. It was uncomfortable and odd but they continued together until they reached her room. She tried to smile, but she didn't want to…She hated showing emotions. Opening the door to her room, Aletta went inside, closed it and leaned against the door. Snape had actually been decent to her…No puns or snide remarks…Something was up. She felt guilty that they didn't talk more but she couldn't really blame him. After all, how do you have a pleasant conversation with the man you were once going to marry? 

********

Hermione and Strider sat in the library. Dueling club had been interesting but it had also finished quite early. They had decided to go to the library to finish their studies. There were a few students who must have had the same idea because they were filing in as well. Hermione made a mad dash for a back table and dropped her books down. Strider waltzed over slowly and pulled out a chair. 

"Professor Averil is strange…don't you think?" he asked, pulling out his homework.

"She is a bit odd, but she does seem to know what she is talking about," Hermione answered. The library door opened again and Professor McGonagall stepped inside, dragging a girl in by her arm. She spoke to her and then walked towards the back of the room.

"Excuse me, Miss Granger, but may I have a word with you?" Professor McGonagall asked as she approached the two. 

"Yes, Professor…" Hermione looked at Strider, who shrugged, and then walked behind a bookcase where McGonagall had gone. 

"Miss Granger, in light of the events in your life, we have not been able to introduce you to your buddy. We felt that maybe she wouldn't need any help getting started here, but unfortunately," she looked over to Zella, who was in the front of the library, "she seems to be a bit more then what we bargained for. If you could try and get her to do home work, or behave…or anything…it would be appreciated."

"But, if she doesn't want to cooperate, then what should I do?" Hermione hated dealing with troublesome students.

"Pray to Merlin that she doesn't get out of control!" McGonagall strode back over to Zella and said something sternly in her ear. Zella laughed and walked over to Hermione. She was tiny but her face was frightening…Pretty, but frightening. Hermione swallowed hard. 

"Hello, I'm Hermione Granger, and you?" she asked, holding out her hand.

"I don't touch Mud Bloods." Zella smacked Hermione's hand away. "Listen, I'm only going to tell you this once: I don't need someone like you telling me what to do. I don't need guidance or help finding my way around this place. I'm Zella Zelosa and I own this place now…You remember that, Hermione….If anyone asks you who runs this school, you tell them Zella Zelosa." She shoved Hermione into the bookcase. "If McGonagall asks you how I am, tell her that I am perfect. I'm the best pupil in this school…If you tell her the truth…Let's just say you will be seeing your parents very soon." She turned on her heel and left. 

Hermione stood against the bookcase and watched her go. There was no way she was going to strike back. Her heart pounded in her chest and she grasped it. Strider had witnessed the whole thing and rose from the table. 

"Don't let her bother you, Hermione. She's spoiled…I heard her parents gave her everything…that's why she's so bitter…She knows she's not top dog here." Strider placed his hands around her shoulders and said, "Don't give her a second thought." 

"But, what she said, it was so cruel." She wiped her eyes, which were moist with tears. 

"I know, Hermione…" He pulled her into a tight hug and sighed. She smelled like fruit and flowers. He didn't want to let her go. They had spent so much time together although they had only been at school for a short time. He wasn't sure what he felt towards her…but it was something. 

"No one will hurt you, Hermione. I'll see to that," he thought to himself. No one would touch her, and if they did, well, he didn't want to think about what he might find himself doing to protect her. 

***************

"Oh, it was so funny! You should have seen yourself rolling on the floor; it was hilarious!" Macaroni grabbed her stomach in laughter. "She got you…ha ha…It was great." 

"Well, you wouldn't be laughing if she did it to you!" Americus shot back. She rubbed her head. When she fell off the chair she had hit it pretty hard. Now the pain grew with each passing second. 

"No, you're right, if she did it to me, I would have killed her," Macaroni laughed again and sat on a couch in the common room. 

"Your nutters…" Americus laughed. "Where is everyone?" She looked around the common room. Some kids were there, but it wasn't its usual hopping self. 

"Oh, that's right, you were auditioning for the play…A new girl arrived yesterday…She's a bit creepy in my opinion. She kind of looks like a house-elf but bigger…like human size. Her name's Mel or something…I don't know, but everyone is obsessing over her. It's disgusting."

"You're just jealous, Mac," Ginger said from behind them. She walked around the back of the couch and sat on one of the chairs. "You want to have all the attention." 

"What do you want Ginger?…Where's Amira? Go find her and leave us alone," Mac replied. 

"Actually, Amira is in the library with Josh Wood, so now I can spend all my time here with you," she smiled and Macaroni groaned.

"Oh, don't be so bitter, Mac," Americus began. "Ginger, have you talked to this girl yet? What's she like?" 

"Well, I've only said a few words to her, but it's hard to strike up a conversation when Pansy and her goons are around. They are already trying to recruit her." Ginger rolled her eyes. "One of the girls…umm…Cassidy, I think, already ditched her. She said she couldn't stand Pansy…It was quite funny."

"That group just keeps getting worse and worse. That girl, Zella…wow…and Camielle…They make Alina, Erika and Isabelle look like saints." Macaroni sighed, "Arielle is nice though; I've talked to her in Potions. I don't know why she would be hanging out with them…security I guess."

The portrait door swung open and Alanna appeared with a piece of parchment in hand. Her face was filled with excitement as she ran over. 

"Hey, I just got this from Snape…It's the list of girls on the dance team!" Alanna squealed excitedly. 

"Give me that," Americus grabbed it. "Ginger, you made it, Alanna, Amira, ugh Alina, Isabelle, and Arielle. There are a few more names, but who cares…" She tossed the list back to Alanna who shook her head.

"Professor Parker said she would have the play list up by next week…Does anyone know what play we are doing?" Ginger asked, twirling her hair on her finger. 

"I heard MacBeth….I hate Shakespeare…" Macaroni sneered. "With my luck, I'll be witch number one." They all laughed. 

Aiwendil pushed her way past Pansy and Alina and headed back towards the common room. If she had to spend one more minute with them, she was going to scream. Who cared about Voldemort and the Dark…That was old news. Wait until they see what's coming…Not even Dumbledore knew. She shook her head.

"No, that's why I came here…to put a stop to this…I won't fail." Running full speed, she approached the portrait of the Silver Snake. 

"Paassssss Word pleassssse," it hissed at her and moved around in the painting. 

"Lord Draco," she muttered. The pig-headed Prefect Draco had come up with the password, and (since no one wanted to stand up to him) that's what it became. Aiwendil thought it was ridiculous, but, then again, who would want to stand up to someone as good looking as he is? Stepping through the painting, she could hear laughter; a few girls sat on the couches exchanging conversation. 

"Hello, I'm Mel…I'm not sure if I've met you all yet," she smiled politely as Macaroni stood. 

"Hiya, I'm Macaroni Lewis, this is Americus, Ginger and Alanna…It's nice to meet you," she smiled and held out her hand. 

"Saesa omentien lle," Mel smiled back. They looked at her oddly and she laughed. "Oh, I'm sorry; it's elvish." The girls nodded in curiosity. "Before I sit, are you friends with that Pansy girl? She's driving me insane!" The group of girls looked around at each other and burst into more laughter. 

************

"Hogwarts: A History," Harry murmured to the portrait of the fat lady. She bowed her head and the painting swung open revealing the Gryffindor common room. Ron was playing checkers with Fred and Devlynn while Keara watched silently. The common room was dull, and all Harry really wanted was to talk with Hermione, but, as always, she was off with Strider again. 

"Hello, Harry! How are you doing today?" Zoltan asked, peering over the book he was reading. 

"All right, I guess…Hey, Zoltan, have you seen Hermione? Has she come back yet?"

"No, I'm afraid not. Sorry, Harry…Strider came back, and he was with her last, so maybe he would know." Zoltan shrugged his shoulders and continued to read. 

"Thanks." Harry moved further into the common room and over to Ron. They were so engrossed in the game that no one realized he was standing there until Keara pounced on him, causing the both of them to fall onto Virgil (who was doing his Divination homework). 

"Hey! Watch it!" Virgil yelled, pulling his parchment out from underneath the two of them. "Keara, you're crazy!" 

"Oh, thanks, Virg," she smiled and winked and he rolled his eyes. 

"Keara, I do love you, but would you mind getting off of me?" Harry huffed from underneath her. 

"Oh! Sorry, Harry…forgot you were there." She rolled over and Harry stood up. 

"Now then, before I'm attacked again, do you know where Strider is?" Harry asked while brushing off his pants. 

"He went to sleep early…said he had a lot to think about. Poor guy…He seems so lonely…Maybe I should become friends with him." Keara wiggled her eyebrows seductively. 

"No, Keara, I think that would just push him further away," Harry remarked. Ron and Devlynn snickered and Fred let out a giant laugh.

"Jerks…" Keara muttered before huffing away. 

Harry made his way up to the boys' dormitories and stuck his head in the room. The lights were off, and, by the little amount of movement, Harry was sure that Strider was sleeping. He tip toed over to Strider's bedside and heard him snore. Yes, he was definitely asleep. Harry backed up and moved towards the door again. Just as Harry turned the doorknob, Strider muttered something incoherent. 

"You awake, Strider?" he whispered, moving back towards the bed. It was silent and Harry stuck his head a bit closer to Strider's mouth. Maybe he had imagined he said something. He pulled away and went for the door again, but then he heard it. This time it was as clear as day. 

"Oh, Hermione…." 

Harry's eyes widened and, as fast as he could, he rushed out the door and slammed it behind him. 

********************

"It's not all so bad. Ginger is in there and I've met a new girl, Alanna…She's really nice. Of course, there is always Macaroni, but she gets snippy every now and then," Amira sighed and placed her head in her hand. 

"Well, I'm just glad that this is it. No more Hogwarts after this year. I will finally be free!" Josh smiled. "The only thing I will miss from this crummy place is you…and maybe the food." 

"All right, no more goofing off. We need to finish this Charms assignment." Amira opened her book and flipped through a few of the pages. 

Josh watched her silently. He couldn't understand why she had been placed in Slytherin; she was nothing like them. Amira was perfect, nice, funny and she really was pretty, but definitely out of his reach. She was his best friend (in fact, she was his only friend) and it scared him to think he might lose her on the account of a crush. 

"Hi, Josh," Rose chimed from another table. "How are you?" 

"Fine, Rose, thanks…" Josh turned back towards Amira, who was smiling. 

"Hiiii, Jooosshh," she batted her eyelashes and mocked Rose. 

"Shut up," he smirked. "I can't help it. First, she had a thing for Oliver, now me…It's creepy." He looked over his shoulder at Rose who was staring at him with a spaced look. 

"Aww, Joshy, she has a crush on you!" Amira laughed again, adjusting her reading glasses. "I hate these things." 

"I think they make you look cute," he said, giving her a small smile. 

"Really? Thanks," she blushed a bit (like she always did when she received a compliment) and turned back to her book, smiling. 

Josh rubbed his hands together, which were moist. She made him nervous, and, when she smiled like that, he wanted to kiss her. It was hard living life when your brother used to be the Lord of the Ladies. Josh had never had a girlfriend…ever. Now, here he was in his 7th year, melting over his best friend. Maybe it would just be better if he left it alone. He looked up at Amira again and wondered if her and Oliver ever dated. He couldn't remember, but he wouldn't put anything past his older brother. As if Amira sensed Josh staring at her, she looked up at him. They both smiled and she looked back down to her book. That was it; there was no way he was going to let her get away. By the end of the year, she would know exactly how he felt. 

******************

Mackenzie yawned and rubbed her eyes. It was late but she had to prepare for the next day's lesson. She had the third, sixth, and seventh years tomorrow and she wanted to be well prepared. Moving quietly through the halls, a noise sounded behind one of the suits of armor. She turned quickly, withdrawing her wand. If anyone was there, she would be ready. 

"Ah ha…" came a voice from behind her and a hand grabbed her by the shoulder. It whipped her around and then let go when she yelled. 

"Mr. Filtch! How dare you!" Mackenzie adjusted her cloak and placed her wand back in her pocket. 

"Oh! I'm sorry Professor. I didn't know it was you. I thought it was one of the students tromping about," he became flustered and backed away. 

"It's all right, Argus. You just surprised me," she sighed.

"Where are you heading this late, Professor? Would you like some company?" he smoothed his hair and smiled. 

"Ugh! Is Filtch trying to make a pass at me?" Mackenzie thought. "No, that's all right. I'm just heading down the Defense classroom to prepare tomorrows study. I will be fine."

"Oh, all right then. Have a good night Professor…" he smiled and Mackenzie tried to hide her giggles as she walked away. 

Upon approaching the Defense classroom, she noticed the classroom light still on. When she pushed the door open, she groaned. Rex was inside working on his lessons. 

"Hello, Mac. Do come in." He shut his book and moved towards her. 

"Hello, Mr. Chase. Will you be leaving soon?" she shot at him. His smile faded and he sighed. 

"Listen, Mackenzie, I'm really sorry about the other day. I should have kept my mouth shut. I don't interact with many people so I don't know how I should act. If I offended you, I truly am sorry…but try to understand I have spent my whole life on my own…I don't know what's proper to say and what's not." 

"It's all right…I'm sorry I snapped back at you. I shouldn't have been so cold." 

"So are we okay? No more evil looks?" He held out his hand. 

"No more evil looks…" she took his hand and smiled. "Besides, I would rather you stay anyway; Filtch is out there and hit on me…I really don't want to be left alone with him."

"Well then, I'm glad I stayed." He moved back towards his books. "I hope you don't mind if I'm not too chatty; I have a lot of work to prepare for tomorrow." 

"So do I, so I won't hold it against you." Opening her book, Mackenzie glanced at the clock. It was 11:30. By the time she finished here, the first bell would be ringing for class. 

******************

"Well, have you contacted her?" Lucius Malfoy sneered at Peter (whom was sharpening a dull dagger). 

"Yes, I personally have sent four owls to her Manor and she has not replied once." He placed the dagger down and turned to Lucius. "You don't think she has skipped town on us…do you?" He scratched his head in thought. 

"No, she wouldn't be so stupid, but where would she be then? Her name is still on the list, which means she isn't dead, and she hasn't tried to disgrace us by becoming a traitor…It's all too odd Wormtail." Lucius picked up the dagger that Peter was working on and twirled it in his fingers. "Perhaps we should contact the Dark Lord and ask him what to do."

"I don't think that would be wise…If he thinks we can't do this ourselves, he might bec-" Lucius slammed the dagger into the desk and Peter jumped. 

"We can do this, we just need to know where she is, and why she hasn't answered us." He pulled the dagger out and began twirling it again. "Send one more post, Peter, and if she doesn't answer in a week, then we will ask the Dark Lord for his guidance in this matter."

"All right, Lucius." Wormtail headed out of the room. 

"Where are you, Aletta? Why are you hiding?" 


	5. For The Sake Of The Students

Disclaimer: I do not own anything HP, but if I did, I would be oh so very rich!!!

Note: Yeah here is chapter 5. I hope I didn't keep you in too much suspense. You really have no idea how many times I would begin writing the chapter and then delete the entire thing. I was not satisfied with anything, and, to be honest, I think this chapter stinks. But oh well, at least I can make some of you happy. The Hufflepuff characters are not mentioned in this chapter, but I cross my heart that you will be in the next chapter. It's really hard to get each house in every chapter, basically because I don't want it to be so long that you become bored with the chapter. Oh well, anyway here is chapter 5, and when your done please review. Any questions, you know you can email me!

Chapter 5~ For the Sake of the Students

The morning air was chill and crisp and the autumn leaves had begun to change from lush green to beautiful oranges and reds. Classes had been rather tedious and most of the students smiled at the thought of a weekend. Nadine and Bianca slowly walked down the steps towards the common room and yawned simultaneously.   
  
"Has Nicole come down yet?" Bianca yawned, looking around the room.  
  
"I don't think so…Where's Seamus today? You're usually attached to his hip," Nadine smirked and laughed at her own pun.   
  
"Shut up, Nade…I'm too tired to hit you right now." Bianca laughed and turned around at the sound of footsteps bellowing down the stairs.   
  
"There you are!" Nicole said merrily as she skipped down the stairs. "I've been looking everywhere for you two!" Moving over to the fire, she smiled at a few first year boys who gave her curious looks.  
  
"Why are you so chipper this morning?" Nadine asked, plopping down onto one of the many red couches.   
  
"I had a wonderful evening…" Nicole blushed a bit and sat down next to Nadine.   
  
"Oh do tell us about it," Bianca smiled and moved in closer.   
  
"Well, actually, it was more of a-" her sentence was cut short by a shriek from the girls' dormitory. Willow and Hermione sprung down the steps in a flash and hurled themselves behind the couch.   
  
"What's going on?" Bianca asked, but was soon pulled low behind the couch with Hermione and Willow.   
  
"Get down! All of you! This is a matter of life and death!" Hermione yelled and the girls ducked behind the couch. "Parvati and Lavender are playing matchmaker again, and if I have to go through one more of their sessions I'm going to- " Willow threw her hand over Hermione's mouth as two voices sounded from the staircase.   
  
"Willow? Hermione?" Paravti cooed.  
  
"We just want to play…Come on, it's fun!" Lavender chimed in.  
  
The footsteps stopped and the group of girls pressed their lips together tightly so as not to make any noise.   
  
"I guess they went down to the Great Hall already," Lavender sighed, taking one last look around.   
  
Parvati shrugged and turned towards the portrait of the fat lady to leave when another set of footsteps was heard from the staircase.   
  
"Nicola! Keara!" Parvati cried as Nicola and Keara walked down the stairs.   
  
"What?" Nicola asked, sleepily rubbing her eyes.   
  
"We have the perfect match for you…Come on…" Lavender pulled her by the arm and smiled.   
  
"But wait…Where is everyone else?" Nicola pleaded, looking over her shoulder at the common room.  
  
"If anyone is hiding in here, you're dead later!" Keara yelled at the 'empty' room as the portrait door closed behind her.   
  
Heads peaked up over the couch and began to form a fit of giggles. Soon the giggles broke out into a full-fledged roar of laughter and they found themselves rolling on the floor. Strider, Harry, Ron, Zoltan, Seamus and Devlynn strolled down the stairs a few minutes later and began to stare at the odd display. For a moment they kept quiet; they were a bit confused at the girls laughter. 

"Are you girls all right?" Seamus asked, grabbing Bianca's hand to help her from the floor. 

"We are fine…" Bianca managed to spit out in between giggles. 

Harry rolled his eyes and looked over to Ron who was helping Willow and Nicole off the floor. Hermione was grabbing her stomach and Harry watched as Strider made his way over to her and helped her to her feet. Harry watched as they became deep in conversation and felt his stomach tighten. He remembered exactly what Strider had been saying in his sleep, and, for some reason, it bothered him tremendously. 

"Jealously is an evil thing, isn't it, Harry…" Zoltan whispered in his ear.

"Huh? Oh no, I was just keeping an eye on Hermione, that's all," Harry offered, giving Zoltan a severe look. 

They stood there and chatted a bit and Harry watched Strider place his arm around Hermione. His heart began to beat faster and he found himself giving Strider a look of death. Strider caught on to his stare and turned red, slowly he removed his arm from Hermione's shoulder and they walked down to the Great Hall for breakfast. 'It is one thing to feel sorry for her, but it was another to try and work his way into her life' he thought. Shaking his head, he sighed. Why in the world was he acting this way? 

Shrugging it off as completely nothing, Harry followed the group down to the hall hoping that Strider wouldn't sit next to Hermione. 

~~~~

"Can you believe this? I get to be captain of the Ravenclaw dance team!" Dana smirked and looked over to Maika and Hailey. "It's a shame I wasn't on the Gryffindor team; then I would be able to dance for George," she sighed. 

"Give it up, Dana…It's becoming rather annoying how you drone on and on about George." Maika rolled her eyes and continued to eat her breakfast. 

"Why do you always have to spoil everything, Mai?" Dana spat back. "Hey, Hailey, you made the team too so now we can spend more time together… I feel like I barely know you," she grinned. 

"I know I'm excited…" Hailey barely whispered in a sarcastic tone. 

Maika laughed and looked over to the other tables. They were beginning to fill quickly and she was glad she had come down early to grab a good seat. A huge group of Gryffindors began taking their seats and Maika noticed George looking over at the table. She grinned to herself; after all, if Dana knew that Hailey had secretly been meeting George in the library, she would have a litter of kneazles.

"What are you grinning about, Mai?" Ryo asked from across the table. "Something exciting happening that I should know about?"

"No, nothing…" she sing sang sweetly.

"George is looking at you again," Maika whispered to Hailey.

"What?" she mumbled nervously. "Really?" Looking over at the table nonchalantly, Hailey could see George give her a wink, which caused her face to turn an enormous shade of red. "What should I do?" she asked softly. 

"I'm not sure, Hailey, but he's coming over here now!" Maika smirked again and shoveled some eggs into her mouth to stifle her laughter. 

Hailey felt her fingers become numb and her feet go cold. This wasn't exactly they best time for this to happen, especially with Dana sitting right across from her. 

'All right, remain calm and she won't suspect a thing…She will never know,' Hailey whispered to herself, taking a few deep breaths. 

"Hey, Mai, Hailey…Dana." George squeezed in between Maika and Hailey, which caused Dana to stiffen a bit. 

"How are things this morning?" He looked between the two of them and smiled.

"Oh, wonderful, George…and things just keep getting more and more interesting." Maika laughed to herself and continued to eat. 

"Hello, George…" Dana batted her eyelashes and smiled a big goofy grin. "What brings you over to the Ravenclaw table?"

"Actually, I was wondering if I could talk to you, Hailey." George looked at Hailey, whom had turned a darker shade of red. " Privately…" He stood up from the table and ushered her over to the corner of the room. 

"What could he want with her?" Dana spat, throwing her fork down on her plate stirring up some eggs that hit Ryo in the face.

"Hey, watch it!" Ryo defended, brushing some egg bits off of his face. 

"I don't know, Dana…Maybe he has some questions about Defense Against the Dark Arts…I know they have that together." Maika tried to hide her smile but failed miserably. 

"Nice try, Maika…" Dana replied coldly. 

Maika turned herself around and looked over to George and Hailey who were talking. George was fiddling his thumbs and Hailey kept looking at the floor. It was a funny site and Maika couldn't help but laugh. Both of their faces were crimson and their body language reeked of nervousness, which was something she had never actually seen George Weasley have. A moment or two went by and George gave off a huge smile before walking away from the corner. He strolled back over to the Gryffindor table with a cocky grin and sat down next to Lee and Fred who were giving him high fives. Hailey, on the other hand, slowly made her way back to the table with a dumb glazed stare on her face. 

"So what was that all about?" Dana asked, her eyes narrowing.

"Huh? Oh, nothing…He needs help with um his homework and I told him I would help him sometime," Hailey smiled sincerely and Maika choked on her drink. 

"Really? That was it?" Dana asked. "And here I thought he was asking you out on a date. Ha!" She smiled and returned to her breakfast. 

Maika gave Hailey a glance and Hailey smiled. "I think I'm going to go for a walk…I'll see you guys later." Hailey stood from the table and grabbed her bag; she was far too excited to sit and eat. 

Walking through the corridors, she ran into Kaito and Renate whom were deep in a discussion on the dueling club. 

"Oh, sorry, Hailey, we didn't see you there…." Renate smiled and picked up her bag, which she had dropped. 

"Yeah, we were arguing over the new teacher….I think she is a spy for You-Know-Who but Renate thinks she is a Auror…What do you think?" Kaito asked, brushing off her robes. 

"Oh, I'm sorry, guys, I really don't have time to argue over this stuff right now." She shrugged her shoulders. 

"Oh, come on, she has to be a spy…Why is she so weird then?" Kaito asked.

"Perhaps it is because you children make it impossible for someone to stay sane!" a harsh voice behind them sounded and the three turned slowly. 

"That will be ten points from Ravenclaw for bad mouthing a Professor, Miss Taylor…Any more takers? I would be more then happy to continue this point onslaught." Aletta looked harshly at the three who remained silent. "As you were then..." After Aletta turned sharply down a far corridor, Renate laughed loudly. 

"Oh, Kat! You had to see your face; I thought you were going to die!" she laughed more and Kaito hit her shoulder. 

"Ow…It was funny!" 

"I'll see you guys later," Hailey smiled and made her way out the front entrance and down onto the fields. Locating a large tree, she slumped underneath it and pulled out her journal. She had been making fewer and fewer entries since she had arrived, but today was a day she definitely needed to record. 

__

Dear Diary,

Something amazing happened to me today. After all the study sessions in the library, he finally did it. He finally got the courage to do it…Merlin knows I wouldn't have been able to. The first Hogsmeade trip will be our official date! Yes, that's right…George Weasley asked me out!!! 

Taking her quill off the parchment she sighed. This day couldn't get any better. 

~~~~

The Great Hall began to clear out and Malfoy sighed. All the boring people in the room had begun to give him a headache. He watched Cho Chang and her cattery cousin Sabrina pass the table. Pansy and Isabelle made some kind of remark that ticked them off and they began to argue loudly. Soon Camielle and Zella joined the onslaught and Alina chimed in from time to time. Draco rolled his eyes and turned his back; he would much rather befriend a Gryffindor then listen to the utter stupidity of Pansy. 

"So, have you decided yet? Want me to hex her?" Cassidy asked, eyeing Pansy from over Draco's shoulder. 

"No, Cassidy, it's not necessary," he drawled. 

"But think about how much fun it would be, Draco!" Ginger laughed, looking up from a buttered roll. 

"Yeah, I would certainly love to put Pansy in her place," Macaroni scowled and then turned back to Americus, who was busy looking at some book. 

"Pansy will eventually get hers…I can promise you that." Draco sighed and placed his fork down. "So, what do you girls have in store today?" he looked over at Amira whom was the obvious head of the group and she shrugged. 

"I have plans to make…I was made captain of the dance team, therefore I need to plot out some kind of a schedule…I know Ginger is tied to homework, Americus and Mac are off in their own world…" 

"Hey!" the two girls chimed at the same time. 

"I have to go to the library today…" Cassidy sighed. 

"Well then, that leaves Alanna…." Amira smiled. "What are you doing today, Alanna? Have time to entertain a lonely Draco Malfoy," Amira grinned and looked at Alanna, whose eyes grew big. 

"Oh, I don't know…I mean, I have no idea…" stumbling over her own words, Alanna looked over to Draco, who was smiling. 

"Ever play Quidditch?" he asked, raising his eyebrows. 

"No…Well, I'm not very good," she replied. 

"Well then it looks as though we have a date with the Quidditch pitch." Rising from his seat, Draco grabbed her by the hand and headed towards the door. Alanna looked back over her shoulder at the girls and Amira gave her two thumbs up. Pansy and her goons watched with hanging mouths and began chattering furiously. 

Outside the door, Alanna felt her heart beat fast. "So…Is Quidditch hard? I mean, I'm not used to playing contact sports; I usually just watch from the stands." 

"I promise your pretty face won't get touched," Draco smirked and continued to drag her outside. 

Alanna felt her lips curl at the corners. 'He just called my face pretty' she thought in a giggly, girly manner. Rushing across the field, she was only aware of two things: She was with Draco Malfoy…alone…and she had no idea what to do!

~~~~~

The room was cold and calm. The tension in the air was high and Aletta did not like it, not at all. Dumbledore had asked all teachers into his office for a meeting, and each face was full of curiosity and fear. They knew it had something to do with Voldemort, the only trouble was they didn't know what. Dumbledore paced slowly around the room, stopping to glance out the window. The students ran around merrily outside, which made him smile. Turning back towards the teachers, he sauntered over to his desk and opened his top drawer. 

"Before I begin, can I offer anyone a lemon drop? I quite fancy these things and I'm sure you would enjoy them." Looking around the room at the vacant stares, he placed the bowl aside and clasped his hands on his desk. "I know your all wondering why I called you here. I don't think I have had an official Professor meeting within the last ten years, but times are different now." He sighed and looked over to the window again. "These children are the foundation of our future, and I wonder sometimes if they really understand the amount of danger they are in." 

"Professor, I hate to be rude, but what are you talking about?" Rex asked, receiving a severe look from Severus. 

"Ahh, Mr. Chase, always cutting to the big picture. Well, if you must know right away, then I'll tell you. It is has come to my attention that Lord Voldemort has received full power again and I don't mean the fact that he is back…I mean his ultimate full power." There were a few short gasps but Dumbledore continued, "I know we thought we would have some time before it happened, but we were wrong…He has begun to search for the strongest allies to build up his army. From what I understand, he will most likely be calling back the witches and wizards whom aided him the most during his past reign." Dumbledore gave Severus a glance and Severus nodded. "With this understanding I feel that any one of these children could be put into danger…We already had an incident with Ms. Granger's parents and Mr. Lunas…. They want to rid the board of all the powerful light fighters before they attack…This is why I have decided to put the school in a lock-down." A few of the teachers looked around confused. 

"What do you mean, Albus?" McGonagall asked, a look of worry in her eyes. 

"It means that there will be no trips to Hogsmeade, no holiday…The children will remain here over the break…I will allow Quidditch games to continue but that's all…No one will be allowed to enter the castle or leave unless it is approved by me."

"But how will we explain this to them…Most of the first years won't understand …" Professor Flitwick chirped from the floor. 

"I know…I will devise a way to tell them, but as of now please inform your houses that Hogsmeade trips have been canceled. Let them know everything is all right, but Hogsmeade trips are canceled. The days grow darker by the hour, and the more we prepare these children, the more chance they have for survival…I can assure you that- " 

"Ahhhhhh!!!" a piercing scream broke the conversation and all eyes turned to Aletta, who slowly slummed to the ground and passed out. 

~~~~~

"Are you certain?" Alina asked Camielle, sitting by the fire in the Slytherin common room. 

"Of course I'm certain! My parents have been Death Eaters for years…They wouldn't owl me with lies!" Camielle shot back. 

"Here, let me see the owl…" Zella grabbed the piece of parchment and began to read it aloud. 

" Camielle, your mother and I wanted to be the first to tell you that it has happened: The Dark Lord has regained full strength. It will only be a matter of time before we reign again. Please inform your friends of this news, as I'm sure they would be happy to share the wonderful news with you. We will owl you again soon with more information. Your father…" Zella sighed and handed the letter back to Camielle. 

"So, do you think everything will work out this time? I mean, judging from the past, nothing ever seems to work out for us," Isabelle commented.

"You dare question the Dark?" Camille quizzed.

"No, I was just curious… I mean, look at Potter, he has- " 

"Drop it, Isabelle," Pansy hissed.

"So, when should we prepare?" Erika asked in a low whisper. 

"Soon, soon and we will be running this entire school," Camille smirked and shoved the letter into her pocket. "But, for now, we keep this between us…" turning to Pansy, her face became very serious. "That means you don't even tell Draco…" 

"I know, but he would be excited to hea- " 

"No, Pansy! No! We have to wait until the timing is right." Camielle stood from her seat on the couch. "Let's get out of here…It's becoming a bit too stuffy." Walking towards the portrait door, the girls laughed in unison. 

Mel stepped out of the shadows and smiled. It was much easier then she had expected; everyone flailed his or her business around, unaware that anyone would be listening…It was rather pathetic. Taking a seat on the couch where Pansy had been, she closed her eyes and focused. If the time were right, she would be able to communicate with her father…If not then, all she would receive would be a terrible headache. 

"Father, are you there?" Mel asked mentally. The voice echoed inside her head. "Father…" She waited but no answer came. Opening her eyes, she rubbed her forehead. It was hard to communicate telepathically, but she had been doing it for quite some time. Only when it didn't work she was left with a headache. Rubbing her temples, she walked slowly up to her dormitory. 'I'll try again later,' she thought, dropping down onto her bed. Closing her eyes, she couldn't wait to tell her father the news. Soon she found herself in a deep sleep. 

__

An old man stood in front of her and she smiled at the site of him. Running towards him, she embraced him in a tight hug. 

__

"Oh, father! I have news for you…" she exclaimed, puffing her chest out proudly. 

"Do you?" he asked in a cold tone. 

"Father?" She gave him a quizzical look and screamed. Her father morphed into the Dark Lord and soon she found herself running. She promised she wouldn't get involved again, but the more he appeared in her dreams the harder it was to fight the need of the dark. She ran harder now; the darkness around her became thick and unnerving. And soon she stopped…She had no idea where she was. 

"It's a dream, Aiwendil…Wake up!…It's a dream, Aiwendil, wake up!" she yelled to herself. And then she felt her true spirit looking down at her imaginary being. It was a bit unreal, but there she was standing in the dark. The figure of herself turned to face her. She looked into her eyes and saw emptiness…complete blackness. She watched herself throw her hands into the air and a bright flash of light thundered down from the sky. It hit the figure hard and when it stopped she knew what had happened. Her dream had accepted the dark…

Opening her eyes, Mel felt the sweat drip down her forehead. She looked at her hands and everything was normal; she hadn't accepted the dark…It really was only a dream. A noise from her left startled her and she jerked her head quickly to the side. She wasn't in the dormitory anymore…She had somehow walked into the Forbidden Forest. The trees around her blew softly in the wind and created a bustling that frightened her. She turned around; she didn't know which way was out, and the longer she stood there the more sounds filled her ears. A rustle from behind her caused her to turn quickly and she came face to face with a beast. She knew its name, a Chimaera (the head of a lion, the body of a goat and the tail of a dragon): A creature known for its bloodthirsty habits. Aiwendil took a few steps back and stared the creature in the eye. Her heart thudded greatly and her legs were weak. It stood there, taking in the scenario. Its body moved with striking tactics and Aiwendil wasn't sure whether to run or wait for its attack. Running would only anger it more. She took another step backwards and pinned herself against a large tree. 

Climbing wasn't an option; these creatures could climb well. She stared it straight in the eye and waited. It was waiting for the perfect attack and Aiwendil knew it. She took a deep breath and then it charged her. Throwing her arms up in defense she felt the creature hit her like a ton of bricks. Kicking and screaming, she threw her hands on the face of the beast, holding his mouth shut. She focused now and began to chant and it grew louder with each passing second. Her eyes became black and empty and in a flash the beast disintegrated into a pile of ashes. She sat there, a minor gash on her hand; the only noticeable battle wound. Looking at the gash and over to the ashes, she began to shake, and the tears fell from her face in buckets. 

~~~~~

Ginny looked into the sky and smiled at the sun; it felt nice on her skin and it was exactly what she had asked for. She had been complaining to Wren recently that the sun never seemed as sunny anymore, and then, as though the sun had heard her, it began to shine brightly that day. Wren chattered eagerly next to her as they walked down by the lake. She was going on and on about a funny moment in Divination. Honestly, Ginny wasn't even paying attention; her mind was elsewhere, but she couldn't quite put her finger on it. Perhaps it was still the odd behavior that Malfoy had given her, or perhaps it was the three tons of eggs she had eaten for breakfast. She really wasn't sure. Taking a seat by the lake, Ginny turned to Wren, who was laughing like crazy. 

"And then he told her she was crazy!…Oh, Ginny, it was so funny!" Wren laughed and fell back on the grass while Ginny shook her head. 

"You're crazy sometimes…" Ginny laughed.

"No…not crazy, just eccentric," Wren smiled and sat back up. "What do you want to do today?" she asked, picking up a blade of grass and shredding it in her fingers. 

"I don't know. Nothing exciting ever seems to happen around here," Ginny sighed. 

"Can someone please help me…." a voice asked from behind them. Turning around, Ginny and Wren gasped at Mel, whom had stumbled out of the forest. "Can you take me to Madam Pomfrey? I think my hand is hurt." Her eyes were vacant and lost and Ginny felt almost scared to look at her. 

"Oh, my…Where did you…did you…You came from the forest, didn't you?" Wren asked, a look of shock plastered on her face. 

"Madam Pomfrey, please…" 

"Wren, we can ask her questions later; we need to get her to the infirmary!" Ginny stood and placed her arm around Mel's shoulder. "Don't worry, Mel. We can help you." Wren grabbed the other shoulder and the two slowly dragged Mel towards the castle. 

"And you were wondering when something exciting would happen….You had to go and say it, didn't you, Ginny…" Wren rolled her eyes. 

"Shut up…" Ginny muttered. 

~~~~~

Severus ran down the hall carrying Aletta back towards her room; he knew what this was about, and he didn't want any of the other teachers to catch on. Dumbledore had told them she had been sick earlier, but the only twit who actually bought it was Trelawney. 

"Some Divination teacher…." Severus mumbled to himself. 

Taking the stairs two at a time, he could hear Rex's footsteps not too far behind him. He was sure Mackenzie would be with him, as well as Dumbledore, but they wouldn't understand the pain she was in…only he would. Reaching her cold room Snape opened her door and placed her on her bed. A movement from the bathroom startled him and he drew his wand. A small house-elf appeared with some folded robes. 

"Can I help you, Sir?" Emmy asked normally before noticing Aletta on the bed. "Missy!" she cried, running to Aletta's side. "What has happened to Emmy's Missy?" she asked, a panicked look on her face. 

"She will be fine. Why don't you be a good house-elf and get her some tea from the kitchen," Snape scowled. 

"Yes…yes... Missy likes tea, she does…" Emmy ran quickly from the room, almost knocking Rex and Mackenzie over. 

"What was that?" Rex asked as he watched the elf run off down the hall. 

"Aletta's house-elf…" Snape mumbled. 

Snape carefully removed her robes, revealing a simple black dress that she wore underneath. He brushed the hair away from her face and sat down on the edge of the bed. Rex chuckled behind him. 

"Never thought you'd be doing that again, did you?" he laughed before Mackenzie hit him in the shoulder. 

"If you're going to stand there making asinine comments, then leave; this is more serious then either of you know!" Snape snapped at them. 

"I was only kidding, Severus…I know it's serious. I was just trying to- " 

"Trying to what? Do you have any idea what it is like to be summoned back to the Dark Lord?…Resisting his call is almost as painful as dying…" Snape looked back at Aletta who was still knocked out on the bed. Rolling up her sleeve, he looked at her Death Mark. He already knew what to expect, but seeing it burn so black almost made his heart ache to help her. He knew the pain all to well, and trying to resist it only made it worse…He had been there so many times before. 

"Aletta?" He lightly tapped her shoulder. "Aletta, can you hear me?" She stirred a bit and her eyes fluttered open. 

"Aletta, can you hear me?" he asked, closer to her ear this time. 

"Yes, I can…Can you stop yelling in my ear?" She moved her head to the side and looked over at Rex and Mackenzie. "I'm glad my pain brings social gatherings…" She lifted her head off the bed and tried to sit up, but failed and fell back again. Her strength was gone…She was weak and Severus knew it. 

"Aletta, you need to rest. I just sent your house-elf to get you some tea. I was hoping though that we cou- " Severus stopped and turned to the commotion by the door. Aletta's house-elf had returned and was now pushing Rex and Mackenzie out. 

"She needs rest, she does…out, out, out." Emmy shooed them away and then walked over to Severus. "Missy will be grateful that you helped her, but Emmy is here now. Sir can leave." She pulled Snape by the hem of his robe and ushered him to the door. 

"Aletta, we need to talk later," Snape stated over to her. 

"We will, Severus…We will…" she answered. " Severus…." She called to him and he turned around at the door. "Thank you." She closed her eyes and fell back to sleep. 

Snape moved away from the door and walked over to Mackenzie and Rex. 

"What did she say?" Rex asked eagerly. Snape gave him a look and moved towards his door. "Severus? What happened?" he asked again. 

Opening the door to his room, Snape stepped inside and slammed the door in Rex's face. 


	6. Locked In With Fear

Disclaimer: Again, I own absolutely nothing. If I did I would be rolling in money right now…however I am completely poor. 

Note: And finally after twenty million years of waiting, Chapter 6 has been completed! I know you are all thrilled. LOL. Anyway, I hope you enjoy this chapter. It may not be as good as the others, but I needed to get back into the swing of things since I haven't been updating lately. Please forgive me if this isn't to your standards. However I hope that you all find it a bit humorous and a bit plot thickening. I promise to update quicker then last time! 

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Chapter 6~ Locked In With Fear 

Despite her fragile appearance Mel was a bit harder to carry to the infirmary then Ginny had suspected. Wren wasn't helping much either, for all she could do was complain and crack jokes while they dragged her through the main entrance. Ginny sighed and shook her head. She didn't regret helping Mel; in fact she loved helping anyone who was in trouble. Yet something lingered in her mind, something she couldn't put her finger on. This scared her, for the last time she felt that something was wrong she had ended up in the Chamber of Secrets with Tom Riddle. 

" Don't let her drag Wren! You might hurt her more! " Ginny huffed as they neared the main staircase. 

" Quit complaining Ginny, its not like she is a feather, all I was saying is that its times like these I wish I had super strength…" Carefully as to not injure her more, Ginny and Wren pulled her up the first step of the stairs. Pausing for a moment they both looked at the amount of steps that they were intending to climb. 

" This is ludicrous. By the time we make it up all these steps we are going to need medical attention from Pomfrey as well. " Wren huffed out slowly. 

" You're not making this any easier…" Ginny rolled her eyes and pulled her up the next step. 

A few hushed voices behind them caused them to stop and turn around. The first year Hufflepuffs stood in awe on the staircase. 

" Ginny, what happened to Mel? " Katheryn asked in a hushed voice. 

" Will she be all right? " Edeline asked in a nervous tone.

" Everything is fine girls, why don't you head back to your common room and forget that you saw anything. " Ginny retorted. 

" Do you want us to help? We could help you get her up the stairs…" Avalin suggested, taking a small step closer to Ginny and Wren. 

" No! " Ginny shot before shaking her head apologetically. " Sorry girls, I don't mean to be rude, but we have this handled. Now do as I say and go back to your common room." 

Ginny's face was stern and the girls frowned in disappointment. " All right Ginny, if you are sure you will be all right then we will be on our way. " Valeriana sighed and motioned for the other girls to follow her. Leora shook her head slightly at the situation but followed her quietly. As they passed them on the staircase Ginny sighed in relief. 

" Well Gin, with a bossy attitude like that no wonder people think you're a weirdo…" Wren chuckled to herself as Ginny shot her a look. 

" Quit joking and start climbing. " 

By the time they reached the top of the staircase they both sighed and looked down at Mel. Her breathing was short and raspy and Ginny wondered if perhaps she should have asked the Hufflepuffs to help after all. Giving a slight nod of the head Wren grasped Mel's underarm and they headed in the direction of the infirmary in complete silence. Madam Pomfrey would have many questions to ask, and Ginny knew that once they had caught their breath it would be up to her to spin the lies to keep Mel out of trouble. 

~~~~

" Why does everyone think we are incapable of helping out? " Edeline asked as they headed towards the Hufflepuff common room. 

" Because we usually are incapable…" Katheryn answered with a sigh. 

Trudging down the long corridor the girls chatted about the situation. It wasn't until Avalin gave a short cry did they realize they were being followed. 

" Ahhh! " Avalin screamed and swung around at the body that had shoved her lightly.  Ryne and Anton laughed loudly and leaned against the corridor wall. 

" Oh, you guys are too easy to scare…you should have seen your face Ava…it was great!" Ryne chuckled and placed his hands on his knees. 

" Edeline, your brother is a complete git! " Avalin spat out, shooting Ryne and Anton a look of death. 

Edeline shook her head lightly and stifled her own laughter. " Sometimes I wonder why you two were placed in Ravenclaw…neither of you study, and you act more like the Weasley twins every day. Perhaps the sorting hat made a mistake and placed you in the wrong house. " She sighed and let out a small laugh.

" On the contrary my dear Eddie…" Ryne began, moving away from the wall. " The sorting hat recognized our vast knowledge before it recognized our humor…mix the two together and we both are very intellectual pranksters…" Ryne grinned over at Anton who was still doubled in laughter. 

" You two are pathetic…." Eddie shook her head and grabbed Avalin by the shoulder. " Lets go before they cook up another plan. " Turning around slowly the girls headed off down the hall with the occasional glance over their shoulders. 

Ryne and Anton watched with pleased faces. " That was good chum, but next time Im aiming for the Leora gal, did you see her face! It was priceless…" Anton smiled and gave Ryne a small pat on the shoulder. 

" You will do nothing of the sort! " Elizabeth sauntered up to them with a serious look on her face. " If you dare harass any of the first years from my house I guarantee that you will both regret it. " Arching her eyebrow slightly she looked over her shoulder. " Am I right girls? " she stated, as Phoebe and Shayla appeared behind her. 

" Oh, you are very right Elizabeth…" Shayla smirked slightly. 

" You girls are crazy, we aren't afraid of you Hufflepuffs! " Ryne took a step towards them. 

" Try us…" Elizabeth whispered in a devilish tone. 

Ryne looked over at Anton who shrugged. " Well, um…yes girls, have a lovely day…" Ryne took a step back and grabbed Anton by the shoulder. Pushing passed them quickly he lightly slapped Anton in the back of the head. " Thanks for the help their chum, now the Hufflepuff clan will think they have us beat…" shaking their heads in defeat they disappeared around the corner of the corridor without looking back. 

Elizabeth smiled widely. " Ahh, its wonderful to feel the power of Hufflepuff pride…" Laughing with Shayla and Phoebe they headed to the common room with a look of victory. 

~~~~

" I just don't get it Ron, why wont she confide in us for anything. I have never felt so alone, or out of place then I do right now. " Harry sighed and marched out to the pitch with his broom. 

Taking quick steps to keep up with him Ron sighed. " She is going through something that we really don't understand Harry, and Strider does…it happened to him as well. We just need to give her time and most likely Hermione will come back to us when she is ready. " 

" It just doesn't sit easily with me Ron, I feel like she is pushing us away, and I don't like it at all. " Pushing his shaggy black hair out of his face Harry sighed. " I even asked her to join us for some flying today…she made up some excuse about not feeling well…" 

" Harry, give her a break. She just experienced something so horrific. The least we can do is give her the time she needs to recover. " Ron jogged up a few steps. 

" When did you become so insightful? " Harry raised his eyebrows as a slightly blushing Ron. 

" Oh, well…Ive been spending a lot of time with Willow…she reads a lot…I guess her knowledge has begun to brush off on me. " Ron smiled softly. 

" I doubt that's the only thing that's rubbed off on you. " Harry chuckled. " Look at your face, your get flushed when you mention her name. " 

" Do not! " Ron snapped back at him. 

" Willow…." Harry whispered towards him. Ron smiled and turned a darker shade of red. " See, there it is again…you fancy her don't you? " Harry grinned, as Ron remained silent. " Don't worry Ron, I wont tell her. " Letting out a soft laugh they pushed through the entrance to the pitch. A few others were up in the air and Harry smiled at them. Mounting his broom he watched as Ron took a seat with Zoltan in the stands. 

Taking a deep breath Harry kicked off the ground and took a slow lap around the pitch. The air was crisp and lovely, and the sun shone brightly on the grass below him. Giving a quick nod hello to Cho and Sabrina, he rounded quickly and headed towards the far end of the pitch. There was another figure doing a few lazy eights, and Harry strained his eyes to see who it was. Halting to a stop Harry felt his stomach tighten. Hermione sat smiling on a broom with Striders arms tightly around her. She was laughing and talking wildly, and Harry felt his heart burst into flames. 

" Why did she lie to me? " Harry thought, slowly flying back towards the ground. He eyed her intently as Strider fixed his grip around her. Another wave of emotions hit him, and with his head hung low in disappointment he sauntered over to Ron and Zoltan. 

" What's wrong Harry? You look like your hopes and dreams were just shattered in an instant. " Ron questioned at his friend. 

" Hermione…she's up there flying with Strider, she lied to me about not feeling well. She just wanted to spend time with him. " Giving a slight shake of his head Harry looked over at Ron and Zoltan. 

" Ahh, so I see the jealousy is still brewing fiercely inside of you Harry…" Zoltan grinned and looked down at his book. 

Harry sat rigid in his seat. " You know Zoltan, every time your around lately that's the only thing you say to me. How Im jealous…what are you getting at? " Harry asked, his heart pumping furiously in his chest. 

" You are rather blind aren't you Harry…" choking back a laugh, Zoltan sighed. " You love her don't you Harry? And seeing her with another guy has driven you towards insanity…that's why you're so bitter lately. You don't want to see Hermione with anyone else, but your too naïve to admit your own feelings. " Closing his book quickly Zoltan rose from his seat. " Be honest with yourself Harry, you love her, and if you don't admit it soon, you may lose her forever. " Ron's mouth hung completely open as Zoltan jogged down the staircase and disappeared from the pitch. 

Harry stood there a moment and let it all sink in. His face was red with anger and embarrassment, but taking a deep breath he calmed down.

 " He doesn't know what he's talking about. " Harry spat at Ron who still remained unnervingly quiet. " He's talking crazy…Hermione is one of my best friends…and that's why Im worried for her. " he clenched his fists. 

" Uh, Harry, uh…" Ron fidgeted in his seat at a loss for words. " I think we ought to go inside…" Ron stood up and headed towards the pitch exit. 

Harry lowered his head and followed him. Stopping abruptly he looked back up at Hermione. She was still smiling and laughing, and Harry couldn't help but feel the pang in his heart again. Giving into his emotions Harry felt the warm tears well in his eyes. Pushing past Ron he ran towards the castle, his head swimming in utter confusion. 

~~~~

The library was unusually full as Hailey entered with Maika. Pushing through a crowd of students they located a table to the far left corner and opened up their Charms books. Hailey sighed in frustration as she skimmed through the chapter. 

" Im really not in the mood for homework, I have too much on my mind…" closing her book she leaned back in her chair with a smile. 

Closing her book as well Maika grinned. " And that wouldn't happen to be George Weasley would it? " giving a short laugh, Maika leaned her elbows on the table. " So, when are you 'going on your date?' " 

Feeling her ears turn a slight shade of pink Hailey smiled. " Well, I guess as soon as the Hogsmeade trip is planned…I hope it's soon. " feeling her heart thump Hailey giggled. " I feel like a little school girl when I think about him. " 

" Well technically you are a little school girl…not really little, but you know what I mean. " Maika grinned and placed her head in the palm of her hand. " So, has dense Dana figured it out yet? " Maika gave a sarcastic laugh. 

" No, I don't think so, but then again Im not sure if- " Hailey cut herself off as a group of Gryffindor girls walked over to her and Maika. Maika smiled at them and offered them seats. Hailey eyed them with curiosity. 

The girl to the far right extended her hand. " Don't think we have met, Im Katie Bell, seventh year Gryffindor. " Hailey took her hand and shook it lightly as Katie tossed her dirty blonde hair over her shoulder. 

" Im Hailey Sheridan…" Hailey looked at the other two girls with raised eyebrows. The one on the left smiled and gave her a nod. 

" Angelina Johnson, same year, Gryffindor. Nice to meet you Hailey. " She grinned and elbowed the other girl in the side. 

The girl in the middle gave a slight smile and pushed her black hair out of her face. She was tinier then the other two, but the serious look on her face caused Hailey to feel a bit uneasy. 

" Alicia Spinett, Im a seventh year Gryffindor as well, and well according to my little messengers, Ive heard some things about you Hailey. " Angelina elbowed Alicia in the side again and Alicia winced. " Don't get me wrong, they are nice things, but they concern me…they concern me greatly. " Alicia sighed and pushed herself into the table more, lowering her voice to a whisper. " Listen Hailey, I know that George and you have become close, so close in fact that you're all he's talked about lately. Basically Im here to make sure your good for him. " 

Hailey sat back in her chair and gave Alicia a puzzled expression. " What do you mean?" 

Alicia remained silent for a moment until Katie softly hit her in the shoulder. " Tell her 'Licia…" Katie whispered in a serious tone. 

Alicia sighed and closed her eyes. " George and I are practically best friends. We have known each other for so long, and I just want him to be safe…I want him to be happy. Yet, the last time he was with someone she broke his heart, and I will be damned if I see that happen again…understand? " Studying Hailey intently Alicia shook her head, " Im sorry if I come off sounding a bit rude, but I just care a lot about him, and I don't want to see him hurt again. He means more to me then anyone will ever know, and I swore that if anything happened to him again I would be the one to fix it…if that makes any sense to you. " 

Hailey nodded slowly and swallowed the lump that had formed in her throat. " No, I understand…I really do like him Alicia, I promise I wont hurt him. " 

" Good, then we wont have anything to worry about. " giving a smile she rose from the table. Nodding a goodbye to Maika, Alicia turned around and began to walk away. Angelina and Katie shook their heads slowly. 

" Sorry about that, Alicia really isn't a bad person, she just…well…George and her are very close. " Katie sighed and followed after Alicia. Angelina gave Maika a slight pat on the shoulder and caught up with Katie. 

Maika waited until they were out the door before she turned back to Hailey. Hailey breathed out a sigh of relief and gave Maika a worried look. " What was that all about? " Hailey questioned. 

" Alicia…she still has it bad…" Maika shook her head and sighed. " George and Alicia dated for hmm…lets see, I think it was almost two years. " Maika brought her finger to her lips and thought. Hailey sighed and waited impatiently, and finally after a few unbearable silent minutes Hailey smacked Maika in the arm. 

" Would you finish the story! You're driving me mad! " Hailey grinned and sat back in her chair. 

" Geez, sorry…well, they dated for two years or so, and well they were the talk of Hogwarts. Everyone assumed that they would be getting married after school was over. However things took a highly unexpected turn. Alicia, for some odd reason, had some sort of fling with another guy…and just to twist it in a bit more the guy was a Slytherin.  Oh man things were so bad, George went on a rampage and beat the guy up. Alicia would cry for hours and hours and George would ignore her. He just snubbed her off. In fact during a quidditch game a bludger was heading straight for her, and he let it hit her. I think when she fell of the broom he realized he was wrong, and that people make mistakes. They talked, and then suddenly as if nothing had happened…Alicia broke things off with the Slytherin, and George and her made up. They decided to just remain friends…I think Alicia was scared she would hurt him again. " Maika shook her head. " This all went down last year; you should have seen Dana after it happened. I thought she was going to kill Alicia. All she would do was run around screaming insane things. Yelling out, how could she do that? How could she hurt him? Blah blah blah…all the usual Dana chatter…" 

" So, you think Alicia still loves him? " Hailey asked nervously

Maika shrugged. " Actually Hail…Im not sure. They are still really close, I mean George and her are barely apart…at least when he's not with his brother or Lee. In my opinion I just think they are very close friends…but if you really want to know, why don't you ask Fred? Or Lee? Im sure one of them would have more answers then I do…" 

Hailey nodded slowly and picked her bag up from the table. Her stomach churned a bit and she felt sick. " Hey Mai, Im going to head back to the common room…I'll catch up with you later. " Maika nodded understandingly and watched Hailey leave. 

Once Hailey was gone Maika pounded her fist on the table. She was going to have a chat with George, and she was going to be certain that everything with Alicia was over. If it wasn't, or if he gave any suspicion that he still loved her…well, Maika wasn't sure what kind of punch she would use on his face.

~~~~

Aletta slowly opened her eyes and looked around her room. It was dark and quiet, and she really wasn't certain how long she had been sleeping for. A muffled noise sounded from the bathroom and Emmy appeared carrying a washcloth and a towel. 

" Oh missy, Emmy is so glad you're awake. Are you feeling better? " Emmy scurried over to Aletta's bedside and placed her thin fingers on Aletta's forehead. 

" Im fine Emmy, thank you for your concern…" Aletta sat up slowly and rolled up her sleeve. Her dark mark was still black and throbbed slightly but she brushed the pain aside. " Has Severus returned? I must speak with him immediately. " Aletta breathed out a sigh and swung her legs over the side of her bed. 

" No missy, do you want Emmy to get him? I'll go, I will…" Emmy began to move towards the door but Aletta held out her hand. 

" No Emmy, I'll go…I need to get up and walk around anyway. " Rising from her bed, Aletta pulled her robes back on and headed for the door. " Emmy, I will be back soon…why don't you settle down and take a break? " Aletta smiled at Emmy's excited reaction. 

" Oh missy, your so good to Emmy, you are." Emmy ran over and gave Aletta a quick hug. " You be careful, and come back soon…" Emmy backed up and let Aletta move to the door. 

Closing the door behind her Aletta leaned against the wall. Where would she begin, and what was she ready to say. It was certain that Severus would question her intently, and she was frightened of what her answers may lead to. Taking in a deep breath she moved towards his door. Hesitating for only a moment she knocked softly and waited. A groan was heard from behind the door and soon it opened. Severus stood there looking a bit disheveled. 

" Did I catch you at a bad time Severus? " Aletta ached her eyebrow and pushed passed him. Upon entering his room she noticed the sheer lack of light. His room was dark and cold, and if she wasn't mistaken everything was furnished in a dismal black. 

" Did I invite you inside? No I did not…Im glad to see however that your back to your pushy self. " Severus curtly spat back at her. 

" Nice décor Severus, remind me never to hire you as my interior designer…" she choked back a laugh and settled down in an armchair. 

" How are you feeling Aletta? " Severus closed the door and moved over to an adjacent chair. 

" As well as one can expect…although my arm is still burning slightly. " She winced at the dull pain on her arm. 

" So they have begun to call you back, this isn't good Aletta…if you don't show they will become suspicious. " his eyes narrowed as he looked at her. 

" Thank you for your insightful bit of advice…" she shook her head. " Do you think I don't know that? For Merlins sake, we have both dealt with this before, and to be honest I am prepared to do anything. I told you already, I am not involved with them anymore, and I would rather die then put up with the Dark Lord and his attempts to take over the world. He does not control me anymore Severus, and you of all people should understand that." Looking down at her hands Aletta closed her eyes. " Although the temptation is still hard to overcome…" 

Severus sat in the chair and nodded slightly. " I understand Aletta, but we must remain strong. If the Dark Lord is preparing for attack, then we must be ready…we must keep alert as to what is going on. " 

Aletta sighed and opened her eyes. Looking up at Severus she could see the utter concern in his face. For a moment she wanted to embrace him, and forget everything that had happened between them, but her mind told her not too. It would only complicate things more, and she was not one to be lost in trivial complications. 

" Everything will be fine Aletta, I can assure you that in my presence I will not let anything happen to you. I swear on it…" Severus sighed and stood from his chair. Moving over to her slowly he bent down in front of her. His eyes bore into hers with emotion she had never seen, and it scared her. She didn't want it to happen again…she wasn't ready, the past still lingered in her mind, and she didn't so easily forget. " Aletta, I…I am not the man I used to be, and I apologize for everything that happened between us. I cant stand here any longer and swallow what I still feel when I see you. " 

Aletta closed her eyes and bit her tongue. " This isn't right, and you know it…" Standing from the chair she quickly rushed to the door. Pausing for a moment she rested her hand on the doorknob. Softly without turning around she whispered. " It isn't easy for me either Severus…to sit here with you and not be with you kills me, but I cant allow myself to fall weak at your feet again, I wont let it happen…." Opening the door, two bodies flailed forward and tumbled to the floor. 

Rex and Mackenzie laid sprawled out in a tangled fashion. Mackenzie turned red with embarrassment and Rex smiled weakly. 

" We were just…um…yes, how are you Aletta?"  Rex asked from the floor. 

Stepping over him quickly Aletta turned from the room and headed down the dungeon hall. Rex and Mackenzie quickly sprung to their feet and looked apologetically at Severus. 

" Im sorry Severus, we were just curious…we saw Aletta go into your room and we wanted to make sure…" Mackenzie began, until she was cut off by Snapes hand. He walked towards them slowly and backed them out of the doorway. He stood there for a moment and stared at them. 

" Severus, Im sorry I really am…I just get these pangs of curiosity and I…" But Rex was cut short as Snape slammed the door in his face again. 

Mackenzie turned to Rex and smacked him across the back of the head. " Good going genius…now he will never tell us…" Turning away quickly Mackenzie headed down the hall after Aletta softly mocking Rex. " Don't worry Mack, we will just push our ears against the door…they will never know we are there…" 

Rex rubbed the back of his head and sighed. " Bloody woman…" 

~~~~

" Let me see that…" Macaroni spat grabbing the picture out of Meri's hand. " Well I'll be…I cant believe it…"

" I know…wait…look at this one…" Meri cried in laughter and pulled another photo from her bag. " He looks so nervous…" wiping the tears from her eyes she sat back in the couch and grabbed her side in laughter. 

" I never thought, not in a million years would I ever see him look like this…." After a moment Mac finally let the images sink in and broke into her own fit of laughter. " This is priceless…where is Alanna…." Mac snorted slightly which caused Americus to laugh even harder. 

" Hey, what are you two looking at? " Ginger jumped off the last few steps from the dormitories and walked over. 

" The funniest thing I have ever witnessed…." Mac held the pictures out to Ginger. 

Grabbing the picture carefully she brought it too her face and studied it. " Is that Draco? And Alanna? Why does he look like he is going to vomit? " Ginger looked quizzically at the two girls who were curled into hysterics. 

" He took her flying…and I decided to spy on them…I think…I think…" taking a deep breath Meri continued, " I think he likes her, and he was actually nervous…imagine that…Draco Malfoy nervous! " 

Studying the pictures a bit more Ginger finally felt a smile tug at her lips, and soon she too was laughing madly. After all, it wasn't every day that Draco Malfoy was nervous…especially around girls. The common room door swung open and Alanna walked in looking a bit wind blown. At the sight of her the three girls laughed harder and Ginger found herself sinking to the floor. A moment later the door opened again and Draco sauntered in. A slight smirk was on his face, but when he saw the girls he frowned. 

" What's so humorous? " He asked, walking past Alanna and over to the couch. Ginger weakly held up the photos in laughter and handed it to him. Draco snatched it quickly from her and felt his eyes widen as he looked at it. " Who took these? " he demanded, shoving them deep into his pocket. " Who thinks they have the right to spy on me? " He took a step closer to the girls and scowled. " Tell me now, before I become very upset. " 

" Draco, calm down…let me see the pictures. " Alanna rested her hand softly on his shoulder, which caused the girls to laugh even harder. 

" Stupid girls…you're all so immature…" feeling his face turn a shade of red he stormed up the stairs and headed for the dormitory. 

Alanna watched him go and with a look of curiosity she turned back to the three girls who had begun to calm a bit. " What was that all about? " she asked. 

" How was your flying date with Draco? " Americus asked innocently. 

" Fine, but it wasn't a date…we were just hanging around…as friends. " Alanna blushed and pushed her hair out of her face. " Im going to go take a nap. If Amira comes back soon tell her where I am, I need to talk with her. " Looking down at her feet she headed up to the girls dormitory. Once she had disappeared upstairs Americus opened her bag again. Grinning evilly she pulled out a stack of pictures. 

" Gee, Im glad I made doubles for everyone…" passing them to both girls they fell into another fit of laughter. 

~~~~

" Noise…god I hate noise…" Josh thought as he sat down at the Hufflepuff table. The Great Hall was annoyingly loud, and with a roll of his eye he reached for a piece of chicken. A few of the girls next to him were busy talking about a plot to get back at some Ravenclaw boys, and Josh shook his head.  " Pathetic…" he muttered under his breath. 

" If looks could kill Josh we would all be dead. " Amira chuckled as she walked past him and over to the Slytherin table. Josh grinned as he watched her retreating back. 

" Hey Joshy…" Rose smiled and batted her eyelashes from across the table, " You ok? You seem a bit distracted…" 

" Im fine Rose…" he mumbled with a shake of his head. 

Grabbing a mug of butterbeer he placed his lips to the mug and sipped slowly. The warmth of the liquid filled his mouth and he sighed. If only he could get away from it all...if only he could take Amira with him. Closing his eyes for a moment he smiled mentally. A hush broke out over the hall and he opened his eyes to see what had happened. 

Dumbledore was now standing at the head table with an unusual look of seriousness. He was silent at first, which caused some students to become uneasy. For silence in the Great Hall usually meant trouble, and no one liked trouble. Josh looked over at Amira who shrugged back to him. She motioned her head towards the opposite end of the Slytherin table and he looked. A few of the girls were whispering furiously. He looked back at Amira and she mouthed. 

" I have no idea what's going on…" and Josh nodded back to her. He was a bit disappointed, usually Amira knew everything before it happened. Turning in his seat he looked up at Dumbledore as the elderly man cleared his throat. 

" It has come to my attention students that Lord Voldemort, " Many students cringed at his name, " Has indeed returned to full power. " The hall broke out into roar of chatter and Dumbledore held his hands in the air to silence them. " With that in mind, I would like to inform you of our plans here at Hogwarts. We, the teachers and myself, have ordered a lock down on the school. This means that no one can come in, and most certainly no one will be going out. All trips to Hogsmeade have been canceled, but I will allow for quidditch. No one will be permitted to leave for the holidays, and until we can be completely assured of your safety you will remain here at school. " Dumbeldore quieted for a moment while the students looked around with worry. " As your headmaster, my first priority is your safety, therefore any owls that you might send home to your families will be read and reviewed by the head of your house. Any letter sent without authorization will result in punishment. We wish to keep everything here as safe as possible, so if you feel any worries or concern please do not hesitate to come speak with me. My door is always open, and I would be happy to give answers to any sort of question that might be brewing in your inquisitive minds. " There was a long hushed pause in his speech, and Josh felt an uneasy emotion inside of him. " I am sorry to inform you of such horrid news children, but I promise to keep you updated as much as I can. " 

The hall was frighteningly quiet, and the faces of every student were clearly readable. They were all scared. Scared of what might happen, and scared of what was to eventually come. A dull groan sounded from the Gryffindor table and Josh tore his eyes away from Dumbledore. Harry was swaying at the table and clutching his head in an evident pain. Professor McGonagall rose immediately and rushed over to his side. Ron had placed his hands on Harry's shoulder to steady him, but it wasn't much help. Just as McGonagall reached Harry, he groaned louder and fell back into her arms. 

Oh my, it's done!!!! I finally got this thing updated!! YAY!!!!! I really really hope you enjoyed this chapter, cause it took me forever to get it done. I was so busy with things, plus the fact that I was sick didn't really help much. Thank you all so much for your patience. 

A few things in this chapter must be mentioned. First off, I tried to get as many people in as possible. Im sorry if your character wasn't mentioned, but like I said before, it is very hard to include everyone without having the chapter drag out. Second, the Alicia storyline was taken partially from an RPG website that I participated in. I tweaked a few things to make it different, but the idea remains to the owners of the characters on that website. Third, I am currently looking for someone to aid me in the MacBeth play. I need a cast list emailed to me, so if you could send one I would greatly appreciate it. If you have any questions or concerns please email me. Thanks everyone, and please review when you finish here. 


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